Strike call over HSRPs. Govt moots ESMA

The government of Goa is seriously considering invoking the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) in the backdrop of the threat by the Goa public transport federation of a strike in the state of Goa on August 31. The all Goa public transport federation, is an umbrella organisation of 23 public transport organisations.The transport operators under the umbrella include bus owners, taxi operators, rickshaws and two wheeler pilots.

The transporters are demanding that the government stop the implementation of the High Security Number Plates (HSNP) and also to reduce the rates of the pollution certificate. 

Interestingly the strike has also been supported by the youth congress which is the main partner in the ruling coalition government in the state of Goa. The transporters have also indicated their plans of an indefinite strike if the government fails to pay heed to their demands.

Goa Public Transport Fed ups ante.Announces strike on HSRPs

In the building resentment against the enforcement of the high security registration plates for all vehicles in Goa, the All Goa public transport federation became the latest body to announce its agitational stance against the implementation of the High security registration plates in Goa and threatened to go on a one day token strike if the government of Goa fails to stop the process of its implementation.

The federation constitutes al transport operators in Goa including bus owners, taxi operators, rickshaw and two wheelers and pilots who are all set to observe the strike on Monday Aug 31 2009.

Interestingly, the strike call given by the transporters body has the backing of the state unit of the youth congress which had earlier protested the state governments move at Margao when they almost laid siege to the RTOs office last week.

It may be recalled that Goa had advocated the use of high security registration plates making the same mandatory to all vehicles as per the directives of the supreme court under the central motor vehicles act and a Mumbai base company  Shimnit Utsch had bagged the contract amidst opposition by the BJP.

The state of Goa has over 6.5 lakh vehicles registered with the road transport organisation (RTO). The representatives of the various transport organisations lamented that their memorandum made to the chief Minister Mr Digambar Kamat on August 10 with a deadline of seven days had no response and with the deadline expiry on August 18, they had no choice but to  hold the strike which was held in abeyance due to the ganesh chaturthi celebrations in Goa.

The organisation alleged that the representatives in the assembly have not dwelled well enough on the scheme of HSRP and pointed out that the number plates are of no use in Goa as the state has no infrastructure to ensure that the features in the number plate are complimented by proper implementation like tracking of vehicles and other security related aspects as also the absence of a data bank in Goa.

The leader of the opposition Mr Manohar Parrikar had also alleged that there appeared to be a scam in the implementation of the HSRP scheme while saying that Goans were unnecessarily paying double the price compared top the west Bengal government where the number plates were charged at Rs 282 and 441 while people in Goa have to spe4nd Rs 550 and Rs 1250 for such plates.

Goa number plate contract comes under Parrikars lens

The ambitious plans of the government of Goa to issue a contract for high security number plates has come under the scanner following a calling attention motion by the opposition leader Mr Manohar Parrikar who drew the attention of the transport minister expressing the “fear and anxiety” in the minds of the people of Goa about the decision of the government to grant the contract of fixing the high security registration plates to Shimnit Utsch Private limited who the opposition leader claimed, have a dubious background.

As a consequence of the attention drawn by the opposition leader, the Chief Minister Mr Digambar Kamat and the speaker of the Goa assembly Mr Pratapsingh Rane, urged the transport Minister Mr Ramakrishna Dhavlikar to reconsider the move of allotting the contract to the company.

Mr Manohar Parrikar alleged that the director/promoter of the company Shimnit Utsch has a criminal background. Also he pointed out that the same company was denied the contract vide order dated November 13 2006 by the director of transport due to their ineligibility. Also the BJP stalwart pointed out that the company had quoted exorbitant rates as compared to rates quoted by other companies in other states . Also traditional painters of number plates in Goa numbering around 200 were under risk of losing their traditional business adding to the unemployment scenario in the state. 

Mr Parrikar also questioned the need of only approaching one supplier of such High security registration plates(HSRP) while there were other such suppliers existing in the country and implied that the government of Goa was creating an unnecessary monopoly situation which was against the interest of the consumer.

In reply the transport minister maintained that the director of the company who was convicted in a criminal case had resigned from the company and was further replaced by his son. Also the Minister informed that the company had won the contract after quoting the lowest rates. However the speaker Mr Pratapsingh Rane brushed off the justification about signing the agreement with the company in good faith and suggested that the false information if any by the company had insulted this faith and hence the government could terminate the contract.

Mr Parrikar informed the house that no other state had made HSRP compulsory and that the governments of Rajasthan and Karnataka were already restrained by the high courts with a stay on the subject .

Goa to implement High security registration plates

The long awaited high security registration plates(HSRPs) are finally on their way to reality in Goa very soon, possibly within a fortnight. The enforcement of such plates on vehicles in Goa will make the state the third in the whole country to employ such registration plates which are expected to enhance the tracking of vehicles thereby posing as a deterrent to vehicle related crimes in Goa.

The High security registration had been given the green signal by the Supreme Court which set a deadline of three months for the central and the state governments to implement the high security plates, removing all uncertainty thus setting up August 4th as the deadline for the implementation.The HSRPs were also recommended by a technical committee of experts which reviewed the central Motor Vehicle act 1988.

The HSRPs are empowered with seven security features which help to track down stolen vehicles, prevent their misuse and also trace culprits involved in hit-and-run cases. The move is also expected to help against tax evasion at the time of registration and transfers during resale of the vehicle besides bringing the large unorganised sector of licence plate painters under the organised sector.

The state government of Goa has reportedly awarded the HSRP contract to Shimnit Utsch India Pvt Ltd who are billed as the leading licence plate manufacturers in the country. The HSRPs are plates with inherent security features such as retro-reflective sheeting,embossed numbers, IND inscription, unique laser code and snap lock fitment which therefore make these plates tamper proof and prevent vehicle thefts and misuse. The online data is expected to provide real time support to all kinds of vehicles with the HSRPs.

So how does one migrate to the High security registration plate era? All the existing vehicles are given upto two years time to upgrade to the HSRP implementation of the licence plates. The procedure involves approaching the RTO for an application form and the payment for the HSRPs for two wheelers is Rs 550 while for four wheelers it is 1,200. VAT and other taxes are extra.

Helmet rule to be uniform all over Goa

The Helmet which is a safety gear for the head while travelling on a two wheeler is likely to be made as a compulsory wear for all Goans across the state irrespective of the type of area they drive the two wheelers in. Currently the Goa government has relaxed the rule of wearing helmets which has been made compulsory for two wheeler drivers only on highways and excludes places such as village roads, city limits , towns and other such areas.

However all that could undergo a change and people in Goa may have to wear the helmet if they intend to drive the two-wheelers on the roads, in any area all over Goa. This has been necessitated due to the inability of the transport department to evince the desired results due to the partial implementation of the rule in Goa.

A proposal to implement the rule in wholesome has therefore been forwarded to the transport department and is supposedly under active consideration of the government. The transport department is currently of the view that making the helmet compulsory throughout the state would help avoid the number of people dying due to head injuries on the roads by meeting with accidents which involve two wheelers. It is believed that wearing the  helmet would have saved such lives.

As per the statistics of the transport department, the traffic police in Goa had registered over 37,446 cases in the year 2007 against two wheelers for not wearing the helmet on highways whereas in 2008 the number rose by over 45 percent to 54,392.

It is estimated that more than half the number of accidents occurring in Goa involve two wheelers and the people succumbing to such accidents are either the two wheeler riders or the pillion riders. Studies have proved that wearing a helmet by such people could have saved the lives which were lost.

Margao to see an overdue new bus stand soon

The city of Margao has a vintage bus stand which has seen the ravages of time but which is mysteriously ignored as almost being inconsequential to its citizens' welfare. The present KTC bus stand at Margao resembles a shambolic picture of the state of affairs that the commercial city is facing from the state government.However as per the latest buzz, things are expected to change with the Goa state Infrastructure development corporation (GSIDC) working on a ambitious proposal to construct a brand new bus stand with a multistoried complex at the same site by using the over 60,000 sq metres of vacant land available in the area.

The bus stand at Margao is expected to cost a staggering Rs 300 crore for which a public-private partnership is being worked out by the government. while serving as a model bus stand, for intercity and inter state buses, the area is likely to be transformed into a commercial hub and therefore contribute as a revenue model for the state of Goa which will help the government earn money.

The Kadamba transport corporation has forwarded a proposal to the government of Goa which had earlier approved the concept and now has forwarded the file to the GSIDC for its approval. The new bus stand will be adjoining an entire hub of commercial activity with the new South Goa collectorate building complex being its immediate neighbour on one side and the SGPDA market as another hotspot of commercial activity on the other side.

Depending on the success of this business model, the government is likely to replicate the hubs at the Panaji bus stand and subsequently at Porvorim, where the corporation has already got land in its possession.

The entire proposal is however in its stage of infancy and the GSIDC will be now looking into its details before presenting it to the GSIDC board for approval. Simultaneously, discussions are likely to involve the finance and the transport department to check upon the overall implications that the project is likely to present.

The GSIDC will however have to enter into a memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with the KTC, which is the owner of the land in Margao, and would need its approval before advertising the expression of interest for the project.The project is likely to take a few years before being a reality on the ground.

Mamata includes Margao railway station for world class plans

After local Goan politicians of the Congress were crying sore over the ill treatment meted out to Goa by not mentioning its name at all in the railway budget presented by the Railways Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee last week, the railway Minister seems to have heard all the grievances of the congressmen from Goa and now appears to have made amendments to her budgeted speech by including Goa in her list as a station awaiting upgradation to world class facilities.

It does seem that Mamata has realised late that Goa does figure on the railway map of India. She mentioned Goa while replying to a marathon debate on the Railway budget which was passed by  a voice vote in the Lok sabha on Thursday.

Announcing that more railway stations in the country would be upgraded to world class status, Mamata Banerjee announced the names of Goa and Calicut, thus adding to the list of fifty stations already mentioned by her for this purpose. The Margao Railway station (also known as the MADGAON railway station) in South Goa was thus included into this elite list and can now be expected to be upgraded to world class status.

The railway minister was criticised by Goa politicians for ignoring the state in her presentation of the budget proposal last week where Goa's name did not figure in her scheme of things. Among other things, politicians in Goa have sought the introduction of special trains for Goa, it being a famous tourist destination in the world. The Chief Minister of Goa  Mr Digambar Kamat welcomed the new announcement made by Ms Mamata Banerjee and thanked her for the same.

Goa sees special summer trains

Great demand to head to Goa for that unmistakable holiday has pushed the cause of the various travellers seeking more trains destined to Goa and the central and South Western railways have happily obliged.

With the success of its weekend special train to Goa, on its heels, the Central railway which had introduced this train on a trial basis has decided to extend the service owing to the heavy demand.

The weekend special trains to Goa were introduced after observing the desire of the commuters wanting to get away at the end of a hard week. It found instant success as the trains take lesser time compared to other means of transport. Besides one can be back to work on Monday morning according to the railway officials.

the South Western railway is also expected to run weekly special trains to clear the extra rush of passengers during this season. the Yeshwantpur-Vasco-da gama Garib rath weekly express special(0695) will depart form Yeshwantpur at 9 pm on Saturdays and arrive at Vasco da Gama at 11.40 am the next day . the last service from Yeshwantpur is on May 30.

In the return direction, Vasco-da-Gama - Yeshwantpur Garib rath weekly express special (0696) will depart from Vasco-da-Gama on Sundays at 2.30 pm commencing on April 5 and arrive at Yeshwantpur at 5am the next day. the last service from Vasco-da -Gama is on may 31.

Goa's Motorcycle pilots - a unique breed.

  Goa is known all over the world for a host of things very unique to the state. The motorcycle pilot in Goa is just another one of them. A unique trade, the motorcycle pilots as they are fondly referred to in Goa have always been received warmly by the tourists coming to Goa owing to the cheaper means of conveyance while also being able to enjoy the green view of Goa in open and naturally aromatic freshly whizzing Goan breeze.

A pillion ride on a motorcycle pilot's bike can be a pleasure trip, in all kinds  of weather, be it rain or shine. Fuel prices notwithstanding, the Goa motorcycle pilots are a rare breed found only in the state of Goa within the Indian union.

The whole of Goa is host to this very peculiar trade of motorcycle pilots who have ferried millions of people to their destinations over the years and continue to do so till date. The motorcycle pilot has been often viewed as the speedy answer to a comfortable and affordable means of conveyance for one and all. Some have faithfully stuck to the motorcycle pilots preferring them over the rickshaws and the taxis or even the buses  in Goa.

It is not clear how the trade of the motorcycle pilots came into existence in Goa. However it has to be attributed to the rather non-motorable terrains in Goa in earlier times which seems to have given birth to this breed of pilots who have intervened to sort out the problem.Although the buses in Goa may be a cheaper option, they are unable to drop the passengers right upto the doorstep, something which the motorcycle pilots can do effortlessly. Goa's terrain and geographical ambience surely aids the pilots who ride adroitly and zip and zoom through green village field paths,mud roads or among the cattle and thick forest foliages , dodging cats , cows, buffaloes and dogs who often park themselves right in the middle of the road.

Painted in the taxi colour of yellow and black the bike of the motorcycle pilot provides the pillion rider a whiff of fresh air and breeze musing through your hair and running past your ears and the sun shining on your face.The clients patronising the motorcycle pilot range from the avid adventure tourist willing to launch himself into the fresh and wanton breeze of Goa to the tired Goan shopper who has bags to carry home or the late student who needs to catch up with lost time, or the lost traveler who needs to find a difficult address or simply the Goan who would like to catch the Mumbai train on time the motorcycle pilot is the best to take you across.

In the olden days  of seventies and eighties, the motorcycle pilot was very attached to the "Rajdoot" and the "Yezdi" brand of motorcycles, with the two brands ruling their roads. However with the advent of the four stroke bikes, the newer brands of Hero Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki Bajaj and the Yamaha have made permanent inroads into the lives of the motorcycle pilots who have adopted these newer modes into their brand of living.

In recent times the motorcycle pilots  have come out to form an association to place their grievances before the government of goa. Under the banner of " the Goa Motorcycle taxi riders association" the  pilots , organised a peaceful dharna last month and submitted a memorandum to the government to look into their grievances.

Demanding appropriate shades for them at the KTC bus stands in Goa to conduct smooth business, they have urged the RTO ( road transport organisation) of Goa to take them into confidence before issuing permits to new entrants in the trade in Goa. They have also sought restrictions on the rent-a-bike businesses mushrooming in Goa and a ban on renting out of private motorcycles.

The association also demanded that the old-age scheme be extended to them and other homeless pilots to be allotted plots of land for constructing houses.

Goa bus fares look up as fuel prices look down

A gazetted notification issued by the department of transport raised the prices of bus fares by one rupee last week despite the fuel prices  unwinding twice in the last few months.

The notification states that the fares will be five rupees for the first five kilometres and 45 paise for every subsequent or part kilometre . The existing fare was Rs four for the first three kilometres while being the same for the subsequent part.

Though fuel price rise was the main cause to demand this hike, which was proposed during the rise in fuel prices a few months back, the current enforcement in the rates after the prices cooling down comes as a surprise.

Private bus operators argued the increase against the rising prices of spare parts and higher maintenance costs in recent times.

It is reported that in exchange for the fare increase, the bus operators have shown willingness to co-operate in printing and issuing tickets to passengers and adhere to the norms laid down by the department of transport.

Citizens in Goa have always had to bear the brunt of overcrowded buses with rules flouted including the excessive standing passengers and the buses delay in leaving the buses from the bus stands unless the bus is full of passengers.

The conductors in the buses also do not wear proper uniforms besides being rude to passengers who question their high handedness . The department of transport therefore need to show their mettle in dealing with all those bus operators and their employees who fail to adhere to the specified norms of the department.