Editor, Goemkarponn
AERIAL VIEW
As the Chief Minister has been on record, we cannot put a policeman after every person for protection whenever there is a crime in state, so in this case does he expect the owners to run after every tourist to see what they are upto?
By this logic, the DGP and Chief Minister should be responsible for every crime that happens in the State. isn’t it?
Instead of this blame-game, the intelligent brains in the State have to come out together and come out with a strategy.
In foreign countries when you take a car or bike on rent there are several formalities like signing an agreement, which clearly mentions do’s and don’ts, taking credit card details in case of damages.
SURAJ NANDREKAR
Editor, Goemkarponn
On Dussehra day Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant announced that the owners of the rent-a-cab or rent-a-car would be jailed along with riders in case of fatal accidents.
While the government’s concern over the number of accidents is appreciable, the logic behind jailing the owners seems insane and totally unjustifiable.
How can the owners be held responsible? I mean, the owner and tourist come in contact only at the point of hiring the vehicle or returning. Thereafter, the tourist neither informs the owner nor the owners inquires as it leads to intrusion of privacy.
Maximum the owners could do is inform the tourists about the do’s and don’ts. The owners can sensitise tourists about the strict laws on drunk driving, stunts on bikes or cars etc.
But as is being said, the tourists mostly come for its nightlife, cheaper drinks etc and there is no stop to drinking.
In a bid to refine its tourism industry, the Goa tourism department has declared several activities, including cooking and drinking in the open, begging and illegal hawking, and touting in tourist places, driving vehicles on the beach, etc., as “nuisance,” and placed a fine of up to ₹50,000 for such violations. But still the tourists continue to do what they want to.
A owner of a rent-a-car gives the cars for driving on roads but yet the adventurous tourists drive them on beaches, which is totally illegal.
Now how can issue be resolved? How can tourists be told not to drink and drive not to drive on beaches and refrain from rash and negligent driving? The government has to come out with a strategy and not simply blame the owners.
I mean no owner would want his car or bike worth lakhs is driven in such a manner like for instance a tourist was seen driving cars with all four doors open, in another case occupants were seen sitting on window and worse was a person dancing on Mahindra Thar jeep.
Now no owner would want to see that happen to his/ her car. So who is to be blamed and what is the solution to the matter.
Of course, jailing the owners serves no purpose after all these owners are in self-employment business and government does not provide any help.
As the Chief Minister has been on record, we cannot put a policeman after every person for protection whenever there is a crime in state, so in this case does he expect the owners to run after every tourist to see what they are upto?
By this logic, the DGP and Chief Minister should be responsible for every crime that happens in the State. isn’t it?
Instead of this blame-game, the intelligent brains in the State have to come out together and come out with a strategy.
In foreign countries when you take a car or bike on rent there are several formalities like signing an agreement, which clearly mentions do’s and don’ts, taking credit card details in case of damages.
Conditions are properly mentioned in the agreement in case of accident or drunk driving anbd challans.
But in Goa, a car is let go only with deposit of id card and advance, despite there being several theft cases. Strange?
The government needs to make agreement signing mandatory alongwith checking of licences of tourists for any past challans and over-speeding, drunk driving etc.
We need to bring out stringent laws and only then we could solve the issue.
