NT NETWORK
PANAJI
More than 1000 taxis are going to be off the road for indefinite period as the transport department has not renewed their annual fitness certificates for not installing mandatory speed governors.
As the transport director made it clear that the department has no powers to give relaxation or extend time limit for fitting speed governors, more taxis are likely to get affected in the coming months.
Around 800 taxi operators on Friday gathered outside transport department headquarters to protest against the Regional Transport Office (RTO) officer for not renewing the annual fitness certificates owing to recent amendment made to the central motor vehicles rules, and making installation of speed governor mandatory for taxis.
Members of the tourist taxi unions of both the districts gheraoed the transport director and demanded with him to allow renewal of fitness certificate until the decision on time limit extension for installing speed governor is taken.
Taxi owners and drivers alleged that the renewal of fitness certificate for vehicles was abruptly stopped at the regional transport offices (RTOs) across the state, and threatened to launch a stir if the extension is not granted to install speed governors.
Following a recent amendment to central government notification, the state transport department last week issued a memorandum to all RTOs to implement the order on installation of speed limiting device on tourist taxis with seating capacity not exceeding eight passengers with immediate effect.
Speed governor is a device to measure and regulate the speed of a vehicle.
The transport vehicles should not exceed the speed limit of 80 kmph and the buses of educational institutions carrying students should not cross the speed limit of 60 kmph.
Vice president of North Goa Tourist Taxi Owner Association (NGTTOA) Ravindra Vengurlekar said that, “around 1200 taxi operators across the state will remain unemployed due to the directive from higher authorities to all the RTOs not to renew fitness certificate. It was unexpected decision. Without any intimation, the rule was imposed on us. Besides the amendment was made without receiving our objection and suggestion. We are going to meet all the local MLAs to place our concerns and demand extension. If the government remains adamant, then we will protest.”
However, the transport director Nikhil Desai rejected the taxi union’s claims, saying they are only implementing a central government order.
According to him, neither the department nor the state has power to amend the notification or give any relaxation.
He, however, asked the taxi union to make a representation so that it can be forwarded to the Ministry of Road Transport.
He further informed the union that in Maharasthra and Karnataka, the notification on speed governor has already been fully implemented.
Sunil Vengurlekar treasurer of NGTTOA argued that there are more cases of accidents involving private vehicles than the taxis hence making installation of speed governors mandatory for them than on taxis is more important.
“We have around 20,000 taxis in the state, and the number is less than two per cent of the total vehicle population hence use of modern technology like CCTV cameras to check overspeeding on roads is the best solution,” he added.