Panaji:
A fresh recruitment drive to appoint lifeguards on the Goan beaches has failed to attract women candidates once again, a senior official said today.
The trend of women not coming forward for the coveted job is not new, as in the past as well, women rarely came forward to guard the beaches.
Goa Tourism Director Swapnil Naik told reporters that not a single woman applied for the vacancy at the recruitment drive held by the Drishti Special Response Services (DSRS) which has been guarding the beaches since 2008.
Naik said that there were twelve recruitment drives held in the past during which only three women came forward for the position but none of them were "up to the mark".
DSRS today held swimming tests to select 130 lifeguards, who will be patrolling various beaches in addition to the existing ones.
"House is open for women between age of 18-30. But we are not getting the response from them," said DSRS CEO VK Kanwar.
The private firm has covered all beaches in the picturesque state by posting over 400 lifeguards who are equipped with modern rescue gadgets.
The coastal state has seen a downfall in the number of deaths due to drowning after the lifeguards demarcated the beaches into swimming and no-swimming zones.