Owners to face penalty, suspension of driving licence
PANAJI
The Transport Department’s drive against the hiring of private vehicles for commercial use is soon to be strengthened further with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant warning of action against the owners. The law violators – owners of the violating private vehicles – could even face suspension of driving licence.
“By law, owners of rental bikes and cars are permitted to hire the yellow-plated vehicles to its clients, but there are violations. Our drive against the illegal renting out of such vehicles is ongoing and we book the offenders. The drive (jointly by Traffic Police) will be further reinforced to prevent the misuse of MV Act,” Transport Director Rajan Satardekar told The Goan.
Speaking to reporters after chairing a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that a section of people hire their private two-wheelers for tourists. He warned to act against its owners as the government is streamlining the tourist transportation service in Goa.
The chief minister narrated a case he witnessed on the Atal Setu which is out of bounds for two-wheelers.
“Goans will never use Atal Setu with two-wheelers. It had to be a tourist and the bike did not have a yellow number plate. Obviously someone had illegally rented out his personal bike to the tourist,” Sawant said.
Satardekar added that “serious action” such as suspension of the licence will follow if private bikes or cars are caught being used by tourists. “The owners of these private vehicles will not only be penalised but, if recommended by the police, their licence will be suspended,” the officer said.
A travel website has warned visitors to Goa to refrain from using personal vehicles citing punishment under the MV Act. “Whether you are planning a trip to Goa or you are already in Goa, do not ever hire vehicles with white number plates, (private cars/vehicles). If you do so then you will have to pay the fine for no fault of others because as per the regulations, private car owners are not allowed to rent out their vehicles for commercial purposes. It is punishable under the MV Act,” an article by incrediblegoa.org states.
The report alleges that locals allowing such vehicles on rent are violating the law, but unfortunately, the tourists who hire these vehicles have to pay the fines. “According to the sources, once tourists on a vehicle with a white number plate are stopped by police, the attempts to contact the owners of the vehicles go in vain, and the vehicle gets seized,” it added while taking a dig at tourist taxi operators’ opposition to fare meters.
The government recently mooted the idea of restricting registration of new cars and rental, self-driven two-wheelers on account of increasing vehicular traffic.
ISI-mark helmets to be made mandatory for rent-a-bikes
PANAJI: The Transport department will soon make it mandatory for rent-a-bike operators to provide their clients with an ISI-marked safety headgear.
Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho who flanked the Chief Minister at the post-cabinet press conference said, a rule where operators providing rent-a-bike will have to produce ISI-marked helmets will be implemented.
Renting bikes is a mode for transport popular among tourists with numbers fast rising of Goan youth turning operators particularly along the beach belt.
