TEAM HERALD
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PANJIM: Friday’s bike foray of nine legislators, including Fisheries Minister, along the national highway and into the State Legislative Assembly Complex, without wearing helmets, drew Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar’s lament that legislators had committed a mistake and that they will pay the penalty for violating traffic rules.
“They should know the Traffic Rules and obey them. However big person you are, no one has the right to break the law, unless in emergencies,” he told the House during a Zero Hour discussion initiated by Independent MLA Benjamin Silva.
The bike-borne legislators including five from BJP ~Glenn Ticlo, Pramod Sawant, Michael Lobo, Nilesh Cabral and Carlos Almeida, three independents ~ Avertano Furtado (Fisheries and Labour Minister), Rohan Khaunte and Naresh Sawal and Goa Vikas Party legislator Francisco Mickky Pacheco had arrived on Enfield Bullet and Harley Davidson motorcycles to attend the Friday sitting of the Assembly.
Parrikar said the episode was ‘profitable’ to the government as the riders were asked to pay penalty for violation.
“Laws are for everyone including MLAs… The rule should be equally followed wherein police can say they have not spared MLAs also,” he beamed.
The chief minister said one should learn a positive lesson from the episode. “The pictures in the newspapers (showing the legislators on their bikes without helmets) should be used for convincing people why one should not break the law. This is a signal to wear helmets,” he said, hinting that a campaign run by the media gave a positive result.
He also reminded the legislators that they were not without brains and this is why the people of Goa have elected them.
Speaker Rajendra Arlekar also condemned the incident saying the concerned authorities are asked to take cognizance of the violation.
Meanwhile, the Enforcement Wing of the Transport Department has already procured documents of the bikes. Transport Director Arun Desai said that all legislators approached the department with the documents. “The issue was already discussed with State Transport Minister Ramakrishna Dhavalikar. We will issue challans as per Motor Vehicles Act,” he said.
Ticlo, Furtado, Khaunte, Pacheco and Almeida rode the bikes without helmets with the other legislators along the National Highway till the Assembly Complex. The episode triggered controversy with the transport minister assuring action. Khaunte and Furtado had later exited the venue wearing helmets.
Almeida’s bike was without a number plate while Pacheco’s Harley Davidson had a number plate but only at the rear and Khaunte’s bike’s number plate was not as per the prescribed format.
As per the MV Act, fine for all three traffic offences ~ not wearing a helmet, no number plates and fancy number plates ~ is Rs 100 each. In case, the vehicle numbers are not registered, a penalty of Rs 2,000 is to be imposed.
