“Announcing a restriction on new Thar permits under an already frozen licensing regime is hardly a breakthrough. It is merely repackaging an existing policy to create the impression of fresh action.
But even if this proposal eventually reaches the State Transport Authority, it completely misses the real problem.
The danger on Goa’s roads does not come from hypothetical Thars that may receive permits in the future. It comes from the thousands of rental vehicles already operating today.
The minister himself has repeatedly acknowledged that rental vehicles are disproportionately involved in accidents. Fatal crashes involving rented Thars have become distressingly familiar. “
The Goa government’s latest announcement that it plans to stop issuing new licences for Mahindra Thar vehicles under the Rent-a-Cab scheme raises an obvious question. Who is the Transport Minister trying to fool?
Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho has presented the proposal as a decisive response to the growing number of fatal accidents involving self-drive Thars. The vehicle, he says, is too powerful, too fast and difficult to control.
It may sound like bold action. In reality, it is little more than political theatre.
The simple fact is that Goa has already placed a moratorium on issuing new rent-a-cab licences. The decision was taken after the government acknowledged the explosion of self-drive vehicles, increasing traffic congestion and rising accidents involving tourists.
If there are no new Rent-a-Cab licences being issued, what exactly is the minister banning?
Announcing a restriction on new Thar permits under an already frozen licensing regime is hardly a breakthrough. It is merely repackaging an existing policy to create the impression of fresh action.
But even if this proposal eventually reaches the State Transport Authority, it completely misses the real problem.
The danger on Goa’s roads does not come from hypothetical Thars that may receive permits in the future. It comes from the thousands of rental vehicles already operating today.
The minister himself has repeatedly acknowledged that rental vehicles are disproportionately involved in accidents. Fatal crashes involving rented Thars have become distressingly familiar. Tourists unfamiliar with Goa’s roads, often driving recklessly, have left behind a trail of deaths, injuries and shattered families.
Stopping a handful of future permits will not remove a single dangerous vehicle from the roads tomorrow.
The public deserves to know what the government intends to do about the existing fleet.
Will there be stricter inspections? Will repeat offenders lose their permits permanently? Will operators be held accountable for renting vehicles to intoxicated or irresponsible drivers? Will speed governors and tracking systems actually be monitored instead of existing only on paper?
These are the questions that matter.
The obsession with the Mahindra Thar itself is also misplaced. Vehicles do not cause accidents. Drivers do.
A Thar in responsible hands is no more dangerous than any other SUV. Equally, a reckless tourist behind the wheel of a sedan, hatchback or luxury car can become a lethal threat.
If evidence shows that Thars are overrepresented in serious crashes because they encourage aggressive driving, then tighter regulations may be justified. But those regulations must be based on data, enforcement and sound policy, not symbolism.
Otherwise, today’s Thar becomes tomorrow’s Fortuner or Scorpio while the underlying problem remains untouched.
Goa has already introduced mandatory undertakings for tourists renting vehicles, speed governors and tracking devices. Yet accidents continue. That should tell policymakers that regulations without enforcement achieve very little.
There is another uncomfortable truth. The government allowed the self-drive rental industry to expand rapidly over the years while questions over enforcement, compliance and road safety remained unresolved. Now, after multiple fatal accidents and growing public outrage, ministers appear eager to identify a convenient villain.
Blaming one particular model may generate headlines, but it does not constitute transport policy.
Goans are no longer interested in announcements that simply recycle existing decisions under new packaging. They want fewer funerals, safer roads and meaningful accountability.
If the government genuinely believes rental Thars pose an unacceptable risk, it must explain how it will regulate the thousands already operating. If existing laws are inadequate, amend them. If enforcement is weak, strengthen it. If operators violate licence conditions, suspend them.
Anything less is little more than a public relations exercise.
The real danger is not the Thars that may enter Goa’s roads tomorrow. It is the ones already on them today. Until the government addresses that reality, every new announcement will sound less like a solution and more like an attempt to distract from a problem that has already spun out of control.
