Team Herald
PANJIM: Transport Department proposes to complete the ongoing installation process of digital taxi meters this year, against the backdrop of stiff opposition. The department’s Vision Document reels out its mission to ensure every tourist taxi is installed with the GPS tracking device.
The proposal is a part of the department’s short term goal amidst tourist taxi operators backed by private bus association has been vehemently opposing the move. With the High Court of Bombay at Goa closely monitoring the installation process that commenced from July 1, the government in the month of May had notified a scheme to cover the cost of the digital meters borne by the taxi and rickshaw owners.
While the scheme titled ‘Goa State Public Transport Reimbursement of cost of Digital Fare Meter 2021’ was to ensure the concerned stakeholders are not financially burdened, the State government moved a step ahead to provide free digital fare meter along with data service to the taxi operators.
The implementation of the new scheme will start shortly while those who have paid the fees towards the meter fitment will get a refund.
However, the All Goa Private Bus Owners Association spearheading the taxi operators’ fight against fitment of digital meters has warned the government to intensify their agitation in the following month if digital meters are not scrapped.
As a part of other short term goals to be achieved by 2021, the document speaks about reengineering of business processes version 2.0 to create a more efficient paperless; IT enabled workflow system for citizen centric delivery of services. It also includes introducing 50 new electric buses in the fleet of KTCL and shifting taxis to electric vehicles; and charging infrastructure for such vehicles. Part of this goal is already achieved as electric buses were introduced this year in the State besides a major charging station at Margao. In fact, the department has emphasized on converting majority public transport into electric vehicles by 2025.
Training for officers and staff on work related laws and technical training, completion and inauguration of new modern bus stand at Sanquelim, revival of lapsed post and recruitment of vacant post, Intelligent Transport Management System for Public Transport (ITMS) and creating Institutional set up of full-fledged Road Safety Cell with Road Engineering, Traffic experts to reduce road fatalities and improve enforcement are also added under this category.
To further strengthen the infrastructure, the department proposes to commence execution of the construction work to create infrastructure for efficient transport administration for the Transport Department and KTCL on land belonging to the Transport Department at Patto by 2023. Two hundred new electric buses will be added .
Keeping modernization in mind, the department also intends to construct new Bus Stands on PPP model at Panjim, Margao and Mapusa by 2025 while also converting majority public transport into electric vehicles.
