the goan I network
PANAJI
Some 64-odd motor driving schools in Goa face the Regional Transport Office (RTO) axe after a detailed audit found their facilities, training faculty and methodologies either average or below average.
Nonetheless, owners and managements of 83 other such driving schools in Goa can breathe easy as the Gurgaum-based company commissioned by the Goa government to conduct the audit of such schools has graded 50 of them as good, 30 very good and three ‘excellent’.
The Naval Police and Regulating School managed by the Indian Navy establishment in Verem, Reis Magos, was the solitary entity which scored a perfect 100 on all criteria in the audit.
Meanwhile, the transport department in an official release said, “It is decided not to allow those schools which have been accorded average, below average and with poor audit grades, to continue operations with immediate effect.” Show-cause notices will be issued to the licence holders of such schools. They however will be given four months to attain complete compliance of the requisite provisions under the Motor Vehicles Act of 1988, failing which they will be proceeded against as per law, the statement said.
Also, the motor driving schools with ‘excellent’, ‘very good’ and ‘good’ audit grades conferred by M/s ICAT, Gurgaum, will be allowed to continue imparting training to prospective drivers.
But these 83 schools too will be issued notices to buck up and overcome the shortfalls pointed out by the audit firm. They too will get four months and be re-evaluated to verify their claims once they report 100 per-cent compliance, the transport department release said.
According to M/s ICAT audit report there are also some 35 schools which were operating in a condition where audit could not even be conducted. These schools too will be issued notices but given an opportunity to ascertain the reasons for the inability to undergo audit.
These will also have to seek a fresh audit from the company and also bear its cost if they wish to continue in the business, it said.
The transport department had called for a third party audit done to introduce a sense of professionalism in these schools which were churning out licenses without following laid down norms.
