NT NETWORK
PANAJI
The High Court of Bombay at Goa has slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on the state government for miscommunication and causing unnecessary delay of two months in finalising the standards to fix digital meters and global positioning system (GPS) in taxis.
However, the state informed the High Court in an affidavit that it had to scrap the entire earlier process on fitting of digital meters with global positioning system due to a change in specification for Automotive Tracking Device. As a result, the installation of such devices will begin by December 25, 2018.
The state claimed that it came to know about the
new standard only during a meeting with the International Centre for Automative Technology (ICAT) and the Goa Electronics Limited held on August 20, 2018.
A two-judge bench of Justices N M Jamdar and Prithviraj Chavan rejected the state’s claim and said it is difficult to accept it. “It is not possible to believe that the authorities would not check whether the standards have been finalised. Either there is deliberate delay or lapse on the part of the authorities,” the court noted.
This order came in response to a petition filed by the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa seeking directions to implement the government’s decision pertaining to the installation of taxi meters.
The court observed that the Advocate General had indicated a short timeline by which the digital meters would be fitted to the cabs operating in the state. But the matter was adjourned because the Advocate General informed the court that a report on the technical aspect would be called from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratory, Pune. When the matter came up for hearing on June 12, 2018, the court was informed that the samples would have to be sent to the ICAT, Gurgaon, Haryana. Therefore, in this miscommunication here, some time was lost, the court observed.
In the meantime, an application for intervention was filed pointing out that the Bureau of Indian Standards has now fixed the standards for Automotive Tracking Device and they should be adhered to.
When the matter came up on August 20, 2018, it was deferred to September 10, 2018 for the state to hold a meeting with the authorities. On September 10, the court was informed that the Bureau of Indian Standards has notified new specifications and, therefore, the state would scrap the entire earlier process.
Noting that the respondent informed the court about change in specifications repeatedly on two occasions, the court said that the new standards were fixed on July 26, 2018 and it was also available on the website of the Bureau of Indian Standards and moreover petitioner also notified much earlier that standards are in contemplation but the respondent unnecessarily delayed in finalising the standards.
“Had the officer been vigilant, the process could have been initiated on 26 July, 2018, and the time of almost two months which is lost could have been saved and so also judicial time. We, therefore, impose costs of Rs 10,000 on the state government for this needless delay. It is open to the state to recover the costs so imposed from the concerned officer,” the court said.