Team Herald
PANJIM: The Goa Human Rights Commission (GHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of the controversy surrounding the Traffic Sentinel Scheme and issued notices to the government and the Goa Police seeking a detailed report by February 14, 2019.
Transport Minister Ramkrishna Dhavalikar had assured the Goa Legislative Assembly on Thursday to review the scheme after legislators cutting across the party lines demanded to keep it in abeyance citing irregularities. The MLAs also questioned the legality of the scheme, its implementation as well as alleged misuse of photos particularly that of females. It was these allegations that the Commission was compelled to take a suo-motu and directed Chief Secretary, Transport Secretary and Director General of Police to submit a detailed report on or before February 14, 2019.
“The media reports indicate that the photographs of girls are being clicked by the Traffic Sentinels. I would like to point out that clicking photographs of girls without their consent by the so called Traffic Sentinels, prima facie, is against all the tenets of law and is a clear infringement of Fundamental Right guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India and also amounts to violation of basic human rights of the individual by a public servant,” the notice issued by the Commission member AD Salkar said.
While several legislators raised apprehension that the controversial scheme could result in law and order problem, Deputy Speaker Michael Lobo alleged that photos clicked in the name of the scheme are being used for prostitution. He sought to know why the right of privacy was being intruded through this year-old scheme. Congress MLA Digambar Kamat backed Lobo’s remark saying the photos could be misused in guise of the scheme.
