Panaji (Goa): As drive against traffic violators continues, Goa government has allowed Transport Department’s proposal to keep open offices of Licensing Authorities open every Saturday ending the current financial year to decide action against the offenders.
“The government is pleased to approve the proposal put forward by the department and therefore all the licensing authorities in the State are directed to keep the offices open for conducting hearings on every Saturday till March 31, 2018 to dispose of pending requests received from the police department/enforcement authorities,” Transport Director Nikhil Desai said in a notice issued today.
In a bid to cope up with huge pendency and to have a deterrent effect on the traffic offenders, the department had made this proposal for the special purpose of conducting hearings and passing appropriate orders in the matter of requests for cancellation/suspension of Motor Driving Licenses received from the police department.
The department has instructed that once such proposal is received, the matter shall be disposed off within 30 days. The compliance report will be furnished to the head office by 5th of every month and it would be reviewed in subsequent meetings, Desai said.
The assistant directors of transport who will carry out the process have been given the liberty to ask 1-2 Dealing Hands to remain present in the office to deal with the matter on Saturday, for which the latter will be given compensatory off.
The Transport Department has suspended 273 motor vehicle licenses in a period of three months from October 1, 2017, to December 31, 2017, action of which was taken following recommendations from the Traffic Police on a case-to-case basis.
As per data, maximum 133 licenses were suspended for using mobile phones while driving a vehicle followed 111 cases of driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs. A total of 21 violators saw their licenses suspended for jumping red light, while six licenses were suspended for carrying persons in a good carriage, and one each for over speeding and overloading in good carriages.
With the Road Safety Week underway, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has asked the Traffic Police and Transport Department not to entertain calls from influential persons who deter them from issuing challans to traffic violators. In the last one year, a total of six lakh violators have been fined, of whom some are repeat offenders.
Team TNV
