Goa government agrees to review traffic sentinel scheme

The Goa government told the state Assembly Thursday that it will review the controversial traffic sentinel scheme.

Leader of Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar (Congress) and BJP MLA Glen Ticlo raised the issue through a calling-attention motion, demanding that the scheme be scrapped.

Under the scheme, any person can enrol as traffic sentinel, take pictures of instances of traffic rule violation and send them to the police.

They get paid remuneration on the basis of number of photographs sent.

However, several legislators criticised the scheme during the discussion, saying it infringes on privacy.

While ministers Vijai Sardesai, Sudin Dhavalikar and Nilesh Cabral defended it.

Dhavalikar, the transport minister, assured that the government will review the scheme as demanded by the MLAs.

He said the scheme was introduced as the police failed to enforce discipline on the roads.

As much as 75 per cent of fatalities in road accidents are caused because people do not wear helmets, he said.

Sardesai said the scheme has helped curb traffic rule violations. Installation of CCTV cameras can serve the same purpose, he noted.

But Deputy Speaker Michael Lobo (BJP) claimed there are many cases where unsavoury elements click pictures of girls and women in beach-side villages pretending to be traffic sentinels.

Such pictures are shown to tourists, who are told that these girls are available for prostitution, Lobo said.

The scheme intrudes on people's privacy which is guaranteed under the Constitution, he said.