There is an alarming 20 per cent drop in tourist arrivals thus far in comparison to 2018 figures according to the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa. Around the same time last year, TTAG had reported a nearly 30 per cent decline in tourists in comparison to the previous year. While the bigger tourism picture plays out in the background, Goa continues to ignore some niggling issues that could make a difference in the long run. One of them is poor transportation for which Goa has a notorious reputation. Imagine coming after an eight-hour train journey and then not finding a bus at the railway station. That’s the scene at Karmali Station. If we may recall, Konkan Railways has started several new trains between Mumbai and Karmali Station recently.
The idea is to provide a travel alternative, especially during Christmas and New Year when it might be either too difficult or too expensive to fly. It’s a noble idea, but the passengers are only going to feel frustrated after they get down at Karmali Station because there is hardly any bus-service from there. Since they don’t get bus quickly, they are left at the mercy of taxi-operators, who fleece them by charging ridiculously high fares.
The question is: How can Kadamba Transport Corporation let Goa down so terribly? How can we pretend to be a tourist destination when there is no reliable bus pick-up available at significant transit points? And why only tourists? What about locals, who need a good bus-service as much or perhaps even more than tourists? Just consider the half-hearted way Kadamba started providing AC bus at the Dabolim Airport.
Even after desperate attempts by the tourism industry to convince the State Government, there are a few buses stretched across long time intervals leaving enough scope for the lurking taxi operators to fleece helpless tourists. Major destinations offer transport alternatives like buses to facilitate travel for tourists. In Goa, the system gives enough room for exploitation. Even by a conservative estimate, there must be one AC bus at the airport every half an hour, if the government is indeed serious about helping the tourists.
Goa must establish a synergy between railways and the KTC. There has to be an alignment between the train schedule and bus-service, not just at Karmali Station but everywhere, be it the airport or Thivim and Margao stations. Engaging the taxi operators has been an endless battle that is hurting Goa. The tourism season may be down, but that shouldn’t stop the government from putting systems in place, including a better network of buses at key locations.
