The
recent accident at the Verna Industrial Estate that took the lives of three teenagers has
brought to the fore the question whether big corporates can responsibly
contribute to road safety in Goa. What are the causes of the road crashes and
ultimately the road deaths plaguing our Goan roads?
Speeding or drag racing of cars and motorbikes is commonly seen
among underage drivers and riders as per the observations of the Traffic Cell
Personnel.
The Verna incident was brought about by the dangerous
combination of underage driving and speeding, which ultimately led to the loss
of life while flouting road safety regulations.
Now, the important questions that need to be addressed in the
wake of the recent road deaths in the state of Goa are as follows:
Which is the legal provision in India that mandates the CSR
contributions of large corporate bodies?
Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 stipulates that every
company having net worth of INR 500 crore or more, or a turnover of INR 1,000
crore or more or a net profit of INR 5 crore or more during any financial year
shall spend at least 2% of the average net profits of the Company on CSR
related activities.
Which Schedule of the
Companies Act, 2013 deals with CSR related activities of a company?
The CSR expenditure shall be undertaken by the company in
performing activities as specified in Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013.
The CSR activities which may be performed by the companies for
promoting Road Safety measures in Goa are:
(i) Educating the Masses in all facets of road usage, can be
covered under the heading: ‘promotion of education’
(ii) Drivers’ training, can be covered under: ‘vocational
skills’
(iii) Giving medical and Legal aid, treatment to road accident
victims, can be covered under: ’promoting health care including preventive
health care’
(iv) Providing trauma care around highways in case of road
accidents, can be covered under: ‘health care’
How can the CSR
culture be tuned towards positive measures aimed at generating Road Safety
awareness in Goa?
Hospitality industry: Hotels/ hospitality industry need to have
strict policies of not allowing any guests to drive in drunken situation. They
should adopt responsible standards of serving alcohol and hold breath test for
the driving guests.
Insurance agencies: They may come out with innovative schemes to
provide incentives to citizens who drive safely during theinsurance premium
period.
Media and advertising: The advertisers can encourage safer
practices through various signage installed at vital places. Media should
responsibly advertise the motorized vehicles and should not link speed with
glamour.
Manufacturers of LMV and heavy vehicles: they should provide
adequate security measures in each variant of vehicle.Vehicle manufacturers
should undertake responsible advertising. Safety features of the vehicle should
be highlighted along with the message to use the vehicle carefully on the
roads.
Driving schools: it should provide theoretical sessions on
traffic laws, safe driver behaviour and techniques, road conditions, etc.
Is the state’s public
expenditure and infrastructure budgeting sufficient to curb the latest road
incidents?
The answer would have to be a big resounding ‘NO’. For instance,
the signals at the Dabolim Airport (GOI) junction have not been functioning
since the beginning January, 2020. The orange road dividers separating the
opposite lanes along the Nuvem-Verna roads are damaged and broken and some even
protruding out onto the lane of the road. The Bridge works around the newly
announced Zuari Bridge makes road users vulnerable to injury.
According to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs’ the highest
contributors to CSR in Goa are
Sesa Mining Corporation Limited: INR 15.76 Crores
Nanu Estates Private Limited :INR1.44Crores
Automobile Corporation Of Goa Limited:INR 1.39 Crores
EDC Limited: INR 1.07 Crores
Perhaps CSR
expenditure aimed at improving Road Safety could be applicable on a limited
scale to the state of Goa?
As per CSR Portal of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, not many
companies in Goa are interested in actively taking up the cause of promoting
road safety in the State of Goa,
CSR
expenditure in promoting Road Safety related activities still does not have
enough impetus to make it a viable option for CSR investment in the State of
Goa although it seems that enhancement of Road Safety and generation of Road
Awareness is the need of the hour in this sunny state.
