Calangute packed with tourists, visitors park vehicles on main road (ToI)

TNN | Jan 15, 2014, 01.25 AM IST CALANGUTE: Huge crowds thronged Calangute beach on Tuesday, most of them Indian tourists celebrating Makar Sankranti and Id-e-Milad. All the roads leading to the beach were packed with bumper-to-bumper traffic and there was no parking space for the hundreds of four-wheelers and two-wheelers. With no space available for parking, tourists simply parked themselves in the middle of the main road leading to the beach, leading to even more chaos in the morning. The traffic chaos was compounded with the absence of even a single traffic policeman until well after noon. Sources said the crowds are in Goa because of the extended weekend which started on Saturday. Huge crowds were witnessed in Calangute on Saturday and Sunday. The sources added that TV and media coverage of Narendra Modi's Goa rally last Sunday could have also played a role in the unusually huge crowds in the entire northern coastal belt. There were a number of minor accidents involving cars and two-wheelers all along the roads, leading to traffic being blocked for long stretches at a time. Most eateries, wine stores and roadside vendors did roaring business and many were simply sold out. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Calangute-packed-with-tourists-visitors-park-vehicles-on-main-road/articleshow/28808215.cms