Team Herald
PANJIM: The long-pending implementation of the Motor Vehicles Act will “very soon” come into force as Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho made yet another assurance on Tuesday.
“We will implement the MV Act very soon. Constitutionally we are duty bound to implement the Act, although at the most we can delay it, which we have done. We will keep bare minimum fine while implementing the Act,” he said on the sidelines of a launch event of electric Kadamba buses.
The Pramod Sawant government has deferred the implementation of the Act at least three times in the past. In January, Godinho, after a video conference with Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari, had told the media that Central government does not want to further delay implementation of the Act.
“If you don’t break the law, you don’t pay fine and if you break the law you have to pay the fine,” the State minister had added.
The Act has been a bone of contention in many States, as the hefty fines which go up to Rs 25,000 have been termed as unjust. Godinho has already proposed reducing fines, a relaxation offered by the Central government.
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Electric buses with special features launched
On Tuesday, 30 out of 50 electric buses procured by Kadamba Transport Corporation were handed over by Hyderabad-based Olectra Greentech company to KTC and launched for public use. The electric buses are under the Centre’s ‘Green Transport’ FAME II scheme.
Company Director K V Pradeep said that with charging stations at five depots, the buses will be operated on routes plied by Kadamba buses and that while KTC will collect the revenue it will pay the amount to the operator on a per km basis.
The daily operation of each electric bus will be 225-300 kms and will ply from Panjim to Pernem, Vasco to Canacona, Panjim to Curchorem, Bicholim to Ponda, Margao to Panjim, Panjim to Sanquelim, Panjim to Vasco and Margao to Vasco.
The Director said 48 passengers and one driver can be accommodated in a vehicle, which has special features like air suspension, disc brakes, regenerative braking, GPS tracking, CCTV cameras, etc.