February 18, 2012, has gone down in history as shameful, black mark on our fair state. A bus plunged into a river near the ferry wharf in Calvim, Aldona. Six bodies were recovered from this horrific scene; four of them belonged to Goa's children. The wails of this tragedy had not died down when a few days later, on March 5, a mining truck rammed into a school bus at Usgao, killing one child on the spot along with the driver and cleaner of the bus and injuring several other children.

We wish to remind you of the unfortunate incidents on Saturday, February 18 in Aldona and on Monday, March 5 in Usgao are UNACCEPTABLE. It cannot happen again. We demand accountability. Below are the demands of a Voice of the people, united against the inefficiency, corruption, apathy and sheer negligence that have pervaded the working of our state.

1. Vehicle Age: A clear and binding indication on the age of transport vehicles allowed to ply on Goan roads, after which they should not be permitted.

2. Vehicle Inspections: Each and every vehicle inspected and having passed the necessary checks needs to have the name of the inspector/authority that inspected the vehicle clearly mentioned. The authority has to be made accountable.

3. Licenses: A strict chain of accountability for each and every licence that is granted to a driver in the state, which must leave a clear trail to which inspector/authority authorized it, which will assure responsibility to be taken by the authority in case the person’s fitness to drive is called into question.

4. Realistic and Prohibitive Fines: Fines for driving without licence, driving rashly or driving after consuming alcohol should be so high, it should not be worth even trying to break the rules. We want a larger presence of authorities with ability to detect such offenders and impose fines strictly.

5. Record History of Offenses: We demand a clause for incarceration of repeat offenders and suspension of driving licences for 3 to 6 months. Technology must be used to record a person's history of offenses to determine the quantum of fines and to determine the offender's ability to ply a vehicle. The microchip installed in the licence can be used, along with a backup record with authorities.

We strongly suggest that a meet with the public should be organized by April 15, 2012, along with persons-of-authority. At this meet, we would greatly appreciate if each of our demands are addressed, point-by-point, and with clear roadmap on how we will proceed from here. We also request such regular meets to be held once every quarter for interaction between officials and members of public to address issues.

We the undersigned, the People of Goa.