NT NETWORK
PANAJI
In order to increase the level of enforcement of motor vehicle act and detection of habitual offenders, Transport Minister Sudin Dhavalikar said that the traffic police of the state will have to procure their own smart card reading devices.
Dhavalikar informed this daily that the responsibility to procure the smart card reading devices is of the home department. Responding in affirmation that the absence of the machines has hampered strict enforcement of law he said that it was financially not possible for the department to procure the devices for the traffic police.
“The transport department has its own smart card reading devices and is used by the department authorities for enforcement. The home department will have to procure the machines for the traffic cell of the police department as they have sufficient funds for the same”, he added.
In the absence of smart card readers, the traffic cell of the Goa Police is helpless in impounding licenses and vehicles of frequent offenders as per the rules of the Motor Vehicles Act.
While more than six lakh smart card licenses have been issued by the transport department since the inception of the issuance of electronic chip enabled plastic card system in May 2006, no smart card reading machine has been provided to Goa Police.
Even while the transport department is in possession of 20 smart card reading machines for its regional transport offices in the state, there is no data available with the department on the usage of the machines.
Meanwhile, Dhavalikar who is part of the central government’s Empowered Group of State Transport Ministers said that the committee under the chairmanship of Rajasthan transport minister, Yunus Khan has proposed amendments to the Motor Vehicles Act of 1988.
He said the committee has proposed several measures to improve enforcement and simplify processes to seek certifications under the act.