PANJIM: The State government may go in for a fresh bid for High Security Registration Plates (HSRP) which are compulsory for all vehicles in the country as per directives of the Supreme Court.
Deputy Director of Transport, Prakash Azavedo, said the petition filed in the Supreme Court by a bidder of an earlier tender has been disposed and the government may issue a fresh tender.
Supreme Court in its order said, “The High Court, in our considered view, fell into a clear error in issuing the aforesaid direction. We, therefore, intervene and set aside the aforesaid part of tender of the High Court which is under challenge in the present appeal and leave it open for the state to take appropriate step as it may be advisable in accordance with law.”
“We will decide upon the fresh tender after we get the copy of the order of court and it has to be vetted by the Law Department and Advocate General,” Azavedo said.
Goa is battling to implement HSRP since 2006. Till now the government has scrapped the tender four times and repeatedly missed the deadlines set by the court and faced contempt of court in the matter.
Since March 2012 after the BJP government came to power the tender was cancelled on three occasions. The first tender was issued by the Congress-led government.
The government had first invited tenders in 2006 and signed the contract with Shimnit Utsch India Pvt Ltd in 2008, which was cancelled in 2011. The last tender was issued in May 2014 by the government which was also cancelled.
The contract which was signed in 2008 with Shimnit Utsch had first started installing of HSRP in August 2009 but stopped in July 2010. A total of 3,90,000 vehicles were fitted with the HSRP during that period.
