Daijiworld Media Network - Calangute

Calangute, Jun 28: Calling for stricter enforcement against drunken driving, Calangute MLA Michael Lobo on Saturday said tourists found driving under the influence of alcohol should be arrested immediately to curb the rising number of road accidents involving rental vehicles in Goa.

Addressing reporters alongside All Goa Private Bus Owners Association General Secretary Sudip Tamhankar and representatives of rent-a-cab operators, Lobo expressed concern over the recent increase in accidents involving tourists driving rented vehicles. He said stringent action was necessary to send a clear message that drunk driving would not be tolerated in the state.

Referring to the provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act, Lobo said the law already prescribes penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol and asserted that tourists caught violating the law should be arrested without delay.

"The Motor Vehicles Act is very clear. Any tourist found driving after consuming alcohol should be arrested immediately so that it sends a strong message that drunk driving has no place in Goa," he said.

Tamhankar welcomed a recent directive issued by Transport Director Arvind Khutkar regarding enforcement of the Motor Vehicles Act and reiterated the association's long-standing demand that action should be taken against offending drivers rather than the vehicles they operate.

He pointed out that in cases where bus drivers are caught driving under the influence of alcohol, law enforcement agencies should proceed against the driver instead of seizing the passenger bus, as such action inconveniences passengers and transport operators alike.

According to Tamhankar, the same principle should apply to rental vehicles, with authorities taking immediate legal action against intoxicated drivers instead of unnecessarily impounding the vehicles.

Following representations from the All Goa Private Bus Owners Association, Khutkar issued a communication to the police clarifying that drivers of passenger vehicles found operating under the influence of alcohol while on duty should be booked under Sections 185, 202 and 203 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

The communication also advised that passenger vehicles should not be detained unnecessarily once legal action has been initiated against the driver.

Khutkar further noted that the Motor Vehicles Act empowers a police officer in uniform to arrest, without a warrant, any person found driving dangerously, recklessly, under the influence of alcohol, or while impaired by drugs, reinforcing the legal framework for strict enforcement against drunken driving.