Addressing the media this week, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said bad road conditions alone cannot be considered the reason for increasing road accidents and fatalities. “As per the data available from 2012 to 2021, on an average, 250 people die in road accidents every year ... data shows a majority of the accidents and deaths take place at night after 10 pm till early morning. These are due to drunk driving,” he said.

“I agree the road conditions are bad but not all accidents are due to bad roads,” he added.

Sawant said that locals as well as tourists need to follow traffic rules for their own safety.

The Chief Minister was speaking while distributing compensation to the road accident victims. A total of 23 families of the deceased were given compensation of Rs 200,000 each.

Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho spoke about government plans to install CCTV cameras along the major traffic intersections and accident-prone zones.