Team Herald
PANJIM: A week after the grand Rs 10 lakh compensation announced by Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho, to the family of the victim Emidio Monteiro, who died after he fell with his two-wheeler in a pothole at Ribandar, due to negligence of the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited, there is no clarity on where the money will come from.
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Goa Civic and Consumer Action Network (GOACAN) coordinator Roland Martins, also a member of the State Road Safety Council has said that there was no resource allocation to the best of his knowledge.
There are only two schemes:
a) The Goa State Interim Compensation to Road Accident Victims Scheme, 2015, where compensation of Rs 2 lakh in case of death is given and
b) The Compensation to Victims of Hit and Run Motor Accidents Scheme 2022 notified by the Government of India.
As per this notification, compensation amount has been enhanced from Rs 12,500 to Rs 50,000 for grievous hurt and from Rs 25,000 to Rs 2 lakh for death. This scheme came into effect from April 1, 2022 after superseding the Solatium Scheme, 1989.
Martins said that the Compensation to Victims of Hit and Run Motor Accidents Scheme 2022 and the Good Samaritans Law which protects the person who saves the life of the road accident victims. But this law needs to be publicised, he added.
When contacted, Godinho said that he is serious but added, “We are moving a proposal to enhance the compensation amount under The Goa State Interim Compensation to Road Accident Victims Scheme.”
But till date there is no clarity on how the State government can move a proposal to enhance compensation to one individual. But no proposal is coming up at Wednesday’s cabinet meeting.
However the Transport Minister said he would speak to O Heraldo after the cabinet meeting about giving enhanced compensation on Wednesday. Your newspaper will report the details of this meeting to its readers.
On the other hand, people are ‘confident” that ‘large hearted’ Mauvin Godinho will personally compensate the victim.
