TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2024
Mother to two young kids, Reena Gonsalves was crushed to death by the speeding car driven by a minor, who obviously did not possess a driving licence but also allegedly had consumed alcohol along with three other minor occupants of the car.
While the Vasco Police acted swiftly and detained the minor boy and sent him to the juvenile’s home at Apna Ghar, Merces, on Wednesday the police apprehended the owner of the car who had provided the vehicle to the minors and after the accident had been absconding.
A raging debate on the issue unfolded immediately on the social media and offline. There has been an agitated demand that parents and owners of vehicles who allow their minor children to ride a bike or drive a car should be punished.
However, when you look around within the villages and towns of Goa, everyday you will find parents taking the backseat and their children in the rider’s seat or with the car steering navigating the local roads. Children as little as 6 and 7 years old are allowed to handle the vehicle.
Therefore the question arises, what the lay person can see is it invisible to the authorities? If the problem is nipped in the bud then tragic accidents can be avoided.
On the other hand, it is appalling to see those driving the Regional Transport Office (RTO) and police vehicles, have the least respect for road and traffic disciplines. The law of the land is applicable to all in the same spirit and thus those in authority cannot take their positions for granted and swing the rules out of the window. Overspeeding vehicles, rash and negligent driving by government personnel is not unknown to the law enforcement agencies.
More than four years ago, then Transport Minister Ramkrishna Dhavalikar, when he was part of late Manohar Parrikar-led cabinet, in April 2018 had warned Goans that once the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act is amended the parents will be held responsible for handing over vehicles to minor children and could face a jail term of six months.
Thus, the question that arises is how many parents have been booked since the law has been amended? It is not as if there are no instances of parents handing over vehicles to their minor children, however, the root problem is that those who need to take action turn a blind eye to the issue.
One may accept the argument that it is practically not possible for a cop to be present at every such incident, but definitely the instances that are brought to the notice or intercepted by the naked eyes of the cop should be acted upon to drive home a message in the society that laws are being enforced and no leverage or political interference will ever be tolerated.
It is also of paramount importance to take note of the manner in which driving licences are issued in our country and in Goa. Joining a driving school is the first qualification to get a licence and whether the applicant is aware of the laws and the basic traffic rules make for least of importance. The only second qualification needed is to be able to navigate the vehicle on the roads.
In Goa, the easy availability of vehicles too is a big challenge and the enforcement agencies will have to come down heavily on rent-a-bike and rent-a-car owners who provide vehicles even to minors to earn extra bucks.
In the case in question, the owner of the rent-a-car who rented out the car to the minor has been arrested and slapped with Sections of culpable homicide and Sections 180 and 199(A)2 of the MV Act for knowingly endangering the life of the minors and others on the road.
But apart from everything else, disciplining begins at home. Schools and parents have to take the responsibility to teach road mannerisms in the young. And taking responsibility for presenting exemplary behaviour should be those in the government. The public sector employees, especially those in the administrative positions and even amongst them the police department and the Road Transport officials, should be the first in line of self-discipline before taking action against others.
