Margao: The Goa police administration has come under scanner following allegations of traffic violators being directed by the enforcement agency at Colva to pay the challans via G-pay at a nearby wine store in the event they have no cash to clear the fine. The bigger question, however, remains unanswered -- whether the amount paid by the traffic violators through G-pay at the wine store is accounted for and comes into the State treasury or whether there’s revenue leakage causing loss to the State exchequer. In an incident that has brought the Goa police in sharp focus, a young two-wheeler rider realised the bitter truth at Colva during the weekend on Saturday.
Bike rider's ordeal
After being stopped by a posse of policemen, a Home Guard is alleged to have first told the two-wheeler rider to cough up an amount of ₹5,000 on the grounds that he did not renew his pollution certificate. In an apparent bid to instill fear in the rider, the Home Guard removed his bike key and threatened that he would have to sit at the police station if he failed to clear the challan.
The young rider reportedly told the Home Guard that since he did not possess enough cash he would pay via G-pay. It was finally agreed that the rider would pay the challan amounting to ₹1,000 for not renewing the PUC certificate.
The Home Guard told the rider to pay the fine via G-pay at a nearby wine store, throwing up a moot question how can violators be directed to pay challans at a private wine store, and whether the money is finally accounted in the government treasury.
After the young rider narrated the incident to his father, the latter headed to the wine store on Sunday just to find out the arrangement the men-in-uniform have with the owner.
Challans paid using G-Pay
“During our conversation, the wine store owner admitted that traffic violators pay challans to him via G-Pay and the cops later collect the amount from him,” the father claimed.
What’s interesting to note is that after having cleared the amount via G-Pay, the rider did not receive any receipt in lieu of the payment of challan for committing an offense under the Motor Vehicles Act, throwing up a host of questions – whether the men-in-uniform drafted on the roads to enforce MV rules are not equipped with POS machines and whether the Home Guard in question had any authorization from higher ups to get violators pay the fine via G-Pay at the nearby wine store.
“I will take up the matter with the Director General of Police Jaspal Singh since this is a clear case of a scam in the making. I fail to understand how a wine store has been authorized to collect challan payments via G-Pay. A detailed probe is warranted in this case," the father informed.
