MARGAO
The Goa police administration has come under scanner following allegations of traffic violators being directed by the enforcement agency at Colva to pay the challans via G-pay at a nearby wine store in the event they have no cash to clear the fine.
The bigger question, however, remains unanswered -- whether the amount paid by the traffic violators through G-pay at the wine store is accounted for and comes into the State treasury or whether there’s revenue leakage causing loss to the State exchequer.
In an incident that has brought the Goa police in sharp focus, a young two-wheeler rider realised the bitter truth at Colva during the weekend on Saturday. After being stopped by a posse of policemen, a Home Guard is alleged to have first told the two-wheeler rider to cough up an amount of Rs 5000 on the ground he did not renew his pollution certificate. In an apparent bid to instill fear in the rider, his bike key was removed by the Home Guard and was even threatened that he would have to sit at the police station if he fails to clear the challan.
The young rider is believed to have told the Home Guard that he does not have money in his possession and offered to pay the fine via G-pay. It was finally agreed that the rider would pay the challan amounting to Rs 1000 for not renewing the PUC certificate. The worst, however, was yet to come for the young rider.
The Home guard told the rider to pay the fine via G-pay at a nearby wine store, throwing up a moot question how can violators be directed to pay challans at a private wine store, and whether the money is finally accounted in the government treasury.
After the young rider narrated the incident to his father back home, the later headed to the wine store on Sunday just to find out the arrangement the men-in-uniform have with the owner.
“During our conversation, the wine store owner admitted that challans are paid to him by the traffic violators via G-Pay and the amount is later collected by the cops from him”, the father claimed.
What’s interesting to note is that after having cleared the amount via G-Pay, the rider did not receive any receipt in lieu of the payment of challan for committing an offense under the Motor Vehicles Act, throwing up a host of question “ whether the men-in-uniform drafted on the roads to enforce MV rules are not equipped with POS machines and whether the Home Guard in question had any authorization from higher ups to get violators pay the fine via G-Pay at the nearby wine store.
“I will take up the matter with the Director General of Police Jaspal Singh since this is a clear case of a scam in the making. I fail to understand how a wine store has been authorized to collect challan payments via G-Pay. This is a clear cut case for a detailed probe”, the father informed.
