PANJIM: The Disability Rights Association of Goa (DRAG) has appealed to the State government not to scrap the App-based taxi service and to implement the Amended Motor Vehicles Act.
In a letter addressed to the Chief Secretary, DRAG President Avelina D’Sa said that they were disappointed to note that the State government has time and again postponed the implementation of the new Motor Vehicles Act on flimsy grounds despite the increase in road accidents in Goa due to rash and negligent driving leading to loss of lives and limbs and increase in people becoming disabled for life.
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“We wish to inform you that the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 mandates that the State government takes steps for the prevention of disabilities. Keeping this in mind, we demand implementation of the Motor Vehicle Act 2019 before May 30, 2021 i.e on Goa Statehood Day failing which we will be forced to take legal action for the implementation of the same,” D’Sa said.
The DRAG president has demanded that App-based taxis should not be scrapped in Goa and companies such as Ola, Uber, Meeru, Ezymov etc should be allowed to operate in Goa as they provide wheel chair accessible facilities in their vehicles, which according to D’Sa, is beneficial for persons with disability (PwDs) and the elderly which constitutes 10 per cent of the Goan population.
D’Sa has also demanded that the PwDs should be considered as stakeholders in the transport sector as they are representing people with disabilities in Goa and India is a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of PwDs.
