Times of India

Panaji, Aug 29: Goa’s beaches, a favourite with tourists, will now have lifeguards to man them and rescue those in danger of drowning. 

The state-government run Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) has decided to appoint 58 lifeguards on a contract basis who will be posted at different spots along the 105-km-long coastline. 

“We are concentrating more on those spots which have a high density of tourists,” Sanjith Rodrigues, managing director, GTDC said. 

He said the corporation would map an entire coastline dividing it into different zones before posting lifeguards. Contrary to the earlier announcement, the state government has dropped the idea of having women lifeguards. 

Goa’s beaches have been unmanned for more than a year now as lifeguards had struck work, demanding regularisation of their service. Later, the government dismissed the striking guards. 
Official figures here reveal that as many as 240 people lost their lives due to drowning in the last five years. 

“The lifeguards are trained in life saving techniques by the National Institute of Water Sports in a full-fledged course. They are also trained in first aid by the Indian Red Cross,” he said. 

Learning from past experience, the lifeguards will be better equipped now. “They will be armed with flotation boards, binoculars, life jackets, flippers and water goggles,” Rodrigues said.