Emergency services
Goa now has a number - 108 for medical emergencies. This service
is run by the GVK EMRI (Emergency Management and Research Institute) and
is based out of Goa Medical College (Bambolim) and has ambulances
posted at various parts of Goa. These ambulances are fully equipped and
have trained paramedics.
Ambulance
- Goa Medical College (Bambolim) 102 or 2458725
- Goa Air Ambulance +91 98211 50889
- Indian Red Cross (Panjim) 2224601
- Esperance Clinic (Panjim) 2463185
- Margao Ambulance Trust (Margao) 2714464
- Ravi Naik Trust (Ponda) 2312608
- Ambulance And Welfare Trust (Panjim) 2227997
Fire service
The number to Fire Service is 191.
Police
Police Head Quarters, near Azad Maidan, Panjim
dgp@goapolice.org police@goa.nic.in Tel No(Toll Free)- 100 Police Control Room
Roadways Enquiry
- KTC (Kadamba-Goa) 2438034 to 2438037
- MSRTC (Maharashtra) 2438253
- KSRTC (Karnataka) 2438256
Official media
- All India Radio 2224455
- Doordarshan 2224312
- Press Information Bureau 2226929
Consulates and High Commissions
- Portuguese Consulate General, 38-39 Father Angelo Road-Altinho, ☎ 2421525 (cgpgoa@gmail.com, fax: 2421522), . Goa is home to the Consulate General of Portugal, which is understandable, as Portugal has had close and long historic and colonial ties with Goa. As Portugal never recognized India's takeover of the state, for long, it considered Goans eligible for Portuguese passports. While it is no longer as easy as it once was for people of Goan origin, this continues to be available, but difficult and time-consuming to obtain now especially for those born after 1961.
- British Tourist Assistance Office, S13/14, Dempo Towers, Patto Plaza, ☎ 2438734 (assistance@goaukconsular.org, fax: 6641297), . Britain, which has a significant number of tourists visiting the region, also has its Tourist Assistance Office (earlier designated as a consular officer) based here. Germany, Austria (in the port town of Vasco da Gama) and Italy have their honorary consuls.
-
German consulate, Cosme Matias Menezes Pvt. Ltd., Rua de Ourem, Panaji, 403 001, ☎ +91 832 223 55 26 (conhongoa@sancharnet.in, fax: +91 832 222 34 41),. Mon-Fri 10AM-5PM.
- Austrian Consulate, Salgaocar House, Vasco, ☎ 2513811.
- Italian Vice Consulate, D1 Sesa Ghor, Patto Plaza, ☎ 2438944 (fax: 2365785).
Stay safe
Goa is an ideal holiday destination for travelers, but tourists
should bear in mind that India has its own set of safety issues.
- Be careful, when alone, on beaches at night.
- Do not accept un-bottled drinks from strangers under any circumstances.
- Do not accept rides from strangers, locals or foreigners, especially at night.
- Be careful when wading at the beach as undertow riptide currents can be strong in certain beaches. Avoid the mouths of all rivers (such as the Mandovi River at Miramar), especially at low tide when the flow of the water current out to sea is the strongest. And just don't get into the water at all in the off season. The safe swimming period in Goa is November to early May.
- Avoid contact with unprocessed cashew nuts as they contain an irritant ('urusiol') also present in poison ivy. The cashew apple is edible when ripe.
- Goans are very friendly and helpful; should you have any problems, talk immediately to the nearest Goan shop, restaurant or bystander and ask for help.
- Travel guides can be expensive and have been known to dupe foreign visitors. Beware of guides offering to take you to a disco with lots of attractive girls, who will dance with you. This is a sucker scam to cheat you of your money.
- Befriend a decent taxi driver and agree on regular business.
- Temperatures in winter and summer can be extreme, so do not forget sunscreen.
- Beware of any scam that offers a free ride in return for a "prize". The prize will suck guaranteed.
- Also, beware the 'ear doctors', who are more likely to accost men than women and 'produce' some tiny revolting creature, supposedly from your ear, for which they then offer a 'cure' (It is, however, humorous to read the cards they print up promoting themselves).
- While travelling by train, beware of pickpockets, strangers who offer you snacks or tea, and other such people who make trains in India a regular hunting ground.{Please make sure not to take off your precious footwear(In non a/c coaches), or you might not have anything to wear next morning. The same goes with all your valuables}
- Don't trust travel agents who say that a train is fully booked! They want you to hire a car that costs more and provides them a kick back. A better thing to do is to check out the details yourself on the Indian Railways website . Also, you can book your Hotel ticket online on
