PANAJI
In order to salvage the state’s coffers from the utter bankruptcy unleashed due to financial mismanagement, the government has now resorted to extracting money from two-wheeler and four-wheeler users under some silly pretext.
Girish Chodankar, secretary, AICC, said, “The current spate of challaning which is going in the state in the name of traffic discipline has not resulted in any reduction of fatalities on the roads, but instead helped the state government ease, at least, its financial bankruptcy. It is deplorable that the state government has been emptying the purses of the common man to fill its coffers.”
Clarifying that the Congress party is not against penalising traffic violators, but against the unnecessary harassment meted out to the people, Chodankar said, “Fining gullible two-wheeler and four-wheeler users under some silly pretext is unpardonable.”
“What is shameful is that the police and the RTO officers have set a target to collect certain revenue in the form of fines from the roads. This has stressed the officers who are frustrated and left with no other option then to harass the common man,” he added.
Chodankar also called it bad governance to penalise people with an intention to raise revenue. “The government can’t give target of revenue collection to the police and RTO, nor should these departments be boasting about collections. Is this the good governance which was promised by Manohar Parrikar and Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he asked, adding, “We have received several complaints from people that they are being harassed unnecessarily asking to show various documents. If documents are in order, they are asked to switch on their lights, brakes and this goes on till they find some excuse to issue challans. This is pure harassment of the common man and we will not allow this. When our party office bearers checked with the policemen they were told that they are given revenue target which they are trying to fulfil.”
Chodankar demanded that the government stop this target business immediately and direct the police and RTO to stop harassing people. “They should also be asked to avoid waiting in hiding to book the violators as this has resulted in accidents at many places. Don’t treat them as criminals. We are not against punishing violators and disciplining the riders but not for money,” he said.
