The Government announced that it will start the bidding process for the vehicle technical inspection (Magazine) in about 60 days. This would pass into the hands of the private sector, with the aim of reducing deaths and injuries traffic accidents with a modern system.
For this, director of Public Private Partnerships (DGAPP), sigmund freundprior to presenting the project to directors and representatives of the media, reported that work has been going on in this regard for two years.
He informed that it is necessary to make some adjustments to the specifications and then reach an agreement with the Council Public Private Partnershipwhich is finally the one that approves the tender.
Freund said that during all this time they have listened to many of the sectors linked to the issue before making a decision, which he said will impact the entire society. “We want to listen to the interested parties so that we can launch the best initiative and process, this is a government that listens”.
Reduce deaths by accidents
The authorities have designed a schedule which begins next month with the launch of the competitive process, in June the qualification of bidders and the publication of the results of the qualified bidders and by September the presentation of technical and economic offers and evaluation of each one.
For October the evaluation of economic offers will be madein name would be the adjudication and by 2025 the beginning of the implementation of the Vehicle Technical Inspection (ITV). The vision for 2030 is for the country to reduce by 50% the deaths and injuries traffic accidents with concrete actions and public policies such as point licensesinterventions in the streets and roadsphoto fines, among others.
About 3,000 people die every year in traffic accidentsmost of them aged between 15 and 34 years old and the main cause are mechanical failures, while the injured They add up to approximately 100,000, according to data offered from statistics collected with information from the Military and Police Commission of the Ministry of Public Works.
“The investment is from the private sector, the acquisition of the land will be from the private sector, there is no alienation of the treasury or resources or assets that need to go to the National Congress. We are trying to catch up with the best systems in the world.”
Hugo Beras
By your side, Hugo Berasdirector of the National Institute of Transit and Land Transportation (Intrant), said that it is a megaproject that will cover the entire national territory assimilating the experience of other countries.
When asked why Intrant itself or the Ministry of Public Works do not promote the project in a particular way, he said: “The Dominican Republic has not had experience in this type of process that is delicate, which includes institutions with experience in the subject to At a global level, if they investigate the entire planet, there is a group of companies that carry out these procedures, which are an impartial third party, we are going to say it this way, that there is no participation of any government actor so that it can issue a correct and reliable opinion of the conditions of the vehicles”.
The budget limitations and the difficulties that the State would have to implement the program through public operation is what motivates the tender.
The project contemplates that the private operators would invest around 37 million dollars in the construction stage to develop the centers and acquire the machinery.
The Public Private Partnership It would allow Intrant to transfer investment risks such as deadlines and cost overruns, in addition to guaranteeing a quality service to users by an operator with experience and international recognition.
Carriers think
Antonio Marte, leader of Conatra, considers it absurd to request the magazine because he understands that 70% of the vehicles that circulate on the streets and roads They do not have the conditions to “pass” a review due to their deterioration, which, in their opinion, is the main cause of accidents, but also because the vehicle fleet has not been renewed since 2008.
Understand that what is sought is only the interest of “earn some quarters” instead of enforcing the law, and warned that as an important actor in the transport sector it will oppose, because he said he was sure that behind those plans is the private sector that wants to do a juicy business with the magazine.
“What they are looking for is rooms with that, it is not true that we are going to allow an 80 model car to have to put out a magazine, how do you qualify? That motivates the sale abroad (mafias) that go and buy them wholesale and come and sell them to the drivers, I think that before that, if it is the Intrant that is involved in this, they should think about it,” said Marte.
A mistake
John Marspresident of the National Confederation of Transport Workers (CNTT) does not favor that the magazine be managed by the private sector and instead demands that the State assume that responsibility.
“It is a mistake of the State to be handing over to the private sector the supervision and supervision of fundamental areas of the country, that has to be handled by the Intrant, for which it was created, among other things. Every time the State detaches itself and stops playing its role, chaos ensues,” said Marte.
It understands that if the Dominican State has decided to resume with the rigor that this warrants the issue of magazinewhich implies true supervision and control, the entity that runs it favors it, applauds it, as long as it is not just another business to benefit businessmen.
He considered the vehicle technical inspection necessary because it is the only mechanism that the State has to supervise the conditions of the vehicles, but it has to be transparent for the benefit of citizens and that is another action to raise money and benefit businessmen.
international certification
“I understand that we have more conditions for the State to continue with the magazine, if Obras Públicas wants to do it with the facilities, the Government has space, but what happens is that they are looking to do it with an international vision and character as it works in modern countries like Spain. They have tried to plagiarize that same concept trying to do something that lasted, according to them, ”said Marte.
The driver leader is concerned that the State will be deceived again as, according to what he affirmed, happens with the issuance of a driver’s license whose company keeps 80% of the benefits and the Government only receives 20%.
He suggested that discussions on the subject should not revolve around 90-10 (ninety percent for the company and 10 percent for the State, as proposed, but rather be at least 60-40, which in his opinion is more or less acceptable .
