the goan I network
MARGAO
Raising fears that the traffic sentinel scheme could be misused to target girls and women to morph their pictures on Facebook, Goa Pradesh Congress Mahila Chief Pratima Coutinho on Wednesday demanded the immediate scrapping of the scheme and empowering the traffic police with additional manpower to reign in on traffic
violators.
The Congress women chief further wondered why DGP Muktesh Chander is silent on coming up with a matka sentinel scheme to crack a whip against the activity going on across the State right under the nose of the law-enforcing agencies. Flanked by Mahila leaders Jorgina Gama and Reshma Sayed, Pratima told the media there’s a real possibility of the traffic sentinel scheme being misused by unscrupulous elements. “There’s a possibility that under the guise of traffic sentinels, these elements could click pictures of girls and women to show them in bad light. This has to stop,” Pratima said.
She said further that the traffic sentinel scheme overlooks the well-established legal norm that one cannot be penalised for the same offence twice.
Replying to a question, she said the Mahila Congress will make a fervent plea to the Congress government as and when it comes to power to scrap the traffic sentinel notification. “I know there cannot be any justification for not wearing helmets, but we have the traffic police to see that. If the government has shortage of traffic police, it should get additional manpower,” she said.
The Goa Mahila Congress is the first frontal organization of the Congress party after former Chief Minister and Margao MLA Digambar Kamat hit the streets of the commercial capital to express his strong reservations on the traffic sentinel scheme, even going to the extent of saying the Congress government would review the scheme after the party comes to power.
