Vehicle owners now get time till June 7
PANAJI
Commercial vehicle owners can now breathe a sigh of relief as the State government has extended the deadline for the installation and operation of speed governors by two months. This grants them the time till June 7 to ensure compliance with the order issued by the Transport Department in February.
Reliable government sources disclosed to The Goan that the decision comes after the assurance from the “highest authority, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.”
“CM Sawant had made a commitment to a two-month extension when the commercial vehicle operators met him seeking time for compliance. As such, the government has granted a breather of two months,” a senior government official confirmed.
Taxi and rental car operators, in particular, had vehemently opposed the Transport Department’s order citing instances of malfunctioning speed governors and shortages of the device in the market.
The authorities, on the other hand, argued that several devices were deliberately deactivated or were genuinely malfunctioning, and needed either repairs or replacements.
“We may offer a grace period for procurement of new devices or repair of existing ones, as needed. Despite market shortages, compliance with the order remains mandatory,” the official added.
Transport officials had just recently conducted ground-level verifications, confirming reports of stock shortages in local shops. “For those experiencing stock shortages, the extended deadline provides an opportunity. Moreover, these devices are available online and can be locally installed or obtained from service centres too,” he added.
The department will gear up to conduct random checks after the extended deadline. “Just like the drive against Motor Vehicles violations, random checks for speed governors will also be held by our officials after the deadline,” the official said.
The February 27 order mandated the installation of speed governors for both tourist taxis and rent-a-cars by April 7 with routine checks. Assistant Directors of Transport were directed to conduct thorough inspections, particularly focusing on rent-a-cars, to ensure proper installation and functionality of these devices.
“In the meantime, we are carrying out awareness drives on the same,” the official said.
