A road roller on the Guirm-Porvorim stretch of the highway.
Photo Credits: Narayan Pissurlenkar
MAPUSA
Raising concern over the increase in fatalities due to the movement of road rollers on public roads, GOACAN has urged the Directorate of Transport to enforce the conditions imposed while granting exemption from registration to road rollers.
The GOACAN informed that in recent meetings of the District Road Safety Committees the Deputy Directors of Transport have admitted that there was no record with the directorate about the number of road rollers or their owners.
“In such a situation the Public Works Department should provide a list of contractors who own road rollers to the Directorate of Transport to take appropriate steps in the matter,” said Roland Martins, co-ordinator of GOACAN in a letter to the Director of Directorate of Transport.
He said all owners of road rollers should be warned of the consequences if the violations of conditions continue from April 1, 2021.
After a fatal road accident that occurred in Mapusa on 2015, GOACAN had raised the issue of registration of road rollers at the District Road Safety Council meetings and called for proper enforcement of the conditions imposed when granting exemption to these road rollers.
Subsequently, the then Deputy Director of Transport (North) Prakash Azavedo has issued a memorandum on the issue to all Assistant Directors of Transport.
However, despite the memorandum there have been two fatal accidents – one at Farmagudi in March 2020 and the second at Nachinola in January 2021.
“As we work to meet the targets of reducing the number of road fatalities this year as endorsed by the Supreme Court monitored Road Safety Committee, this action on road rollers will be a step in the right direction,” Martins said.
