MARGAO
Margao Municipal Council’s decision to knock the doors of Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho instead of the Supreme Court for a decision on the fate of the three BS4 compliant trucks may bring trouble for the civic body.
For, the civic body has come under the scanner of the audit party giving 24-hour deadline to the MMC to submit details on the three brand new trucks lying idle in the Municipal garage since 2020.
In fact, the audit has asked the civic body to submit details, the action proposed in the matter and progress in this regards may be answered in reply. The reply is to be submitted within 24 hours.
The issue, which has been hanging fire since the last three years, has now come under the audit’s scanner after being informed by the Transport section that the three trucks of BS4 Tata 709 which were purchased in 2019 are lying idle since its purchase.
These vehicles amounting to Rs 37.50 lakh, which are not in service or being used for any official purpose, has resulted in loss for the government exchequer and public money, the audit stated.
With the audit seeking a reply within 24 hours, questions are being raised in the corridors of the civic body what reply will the officials submit on the matter. For, it’s an open secret that the proper forum to address questions on BS4 compliant vehicles is the Supreme Court which has been monitoring the switch over of BS4 compliant vehicles to the BS6 regime since 2020.
In fact, while many states and institutions from across the country and Goa have knocked the Supreme Court’s doors and received the nod to register the BS4 vehicles and get them on the roads, the Margao Municipal Council in its wisdom has approached Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho with a plea to register the three BS4 trucks with the Transport Department in order to bring the vehicles on road.
Incidentally, the Margao Municipal Council had knocked the doors of the Transport Minister on January 28. Sadly, the MMC has received no reply from the Transport Minister till date.
If sources are to be believed, even Transport officials are believed to have unofficially advised the civic officials to approach the Supreme Court. The officials are believed to have even handed over an Supreme Court order pertaining Goa related cases, where in the Court has given relief to an institution for registration of a BS4 compliant vehicle in 2023.
The issue of the three BS4 complaint trucks had prominently figured in the first meeting of the term of the present Council when former Chairperson Ganashyam Shirodkar drew attention of the city fathers to the trucks lying idle in the municipal garage.
Sadly, instead of finding a solution to the issue, wherein Rs 37-odd lakh of the civic body is at stake, the city fathers appear more interested in a fault finding mission, to nail the officials responsible for the delay in registering the trucks before the BS6 compliant regime came into force.
Even Municipal lawyers are believed to have recommended that the Council move the Supreme Court for an order to register the three trucks with the Transport Department, but in vain.
