PANAJI
Amid the ongoing taxi service imbroglio, a conclave of tourism sector stakeholders discussed the possibility of multiple app-based services entering the market, including some promoted by the taxi unions, as one solution to the logjam.
The idea was mooted by Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) Secretary, Akash Madgavkar and found resonance among other participants, including a representative of a Vasco-based body of the taxi operators.
Madgavkar also made a case that there was no escape to incorporating available technological solutions to ensure better services to the end user -- the tourist.
The conclave was facilitated by the Centre for Responsible Tourism (CRT), an initiative of the Catholic Church's social arm, the Council for Social Justice and Peace (CSJP).
The conclave titled 'Conversation on the Taxi Imbroglio' was anchored and moderated by Pifram Fernandes, a South Goa hotelier, who suggested that a formal dialogue be initiated preferably by the TTAG which brings on board representatives of the taxi operators to evolve a practical model for taxi services in the State.
Deepak Naik, who operates from the taxi hub at the Dabolim Airport expressed that such a dialogue would be possible if taxi union leaders are convinced to engage in a neutral atmosphere.
He opined that the trend to paint them as villains is unjustified and vitiates the atmosphere even as he charged that predatory pricing and over-charging occurs in almost every facet of the tourism trade in Goa.
"Hoteliers charge astronomical prices in peak season. No one says anything. It's only taxi drivers who are targeted when some indulge in overcharging," Naik said.
The CRT also issued a statement supporting the idea of incorporating technology solutions.
"In a modern era when technology is what makes business transparent, accountable and builds confidence in the public, it is important to explore new ways of carrying out the taxi operations," a statement issued by CRT after the conclave said.
Fr Freddy Braganca, the executive secretary of CRT however asserted in the statement that the principle that the local Goans and communities must be the first beneficiaries of tourism needs to be upheld.
The shady role of the government in attempting to be the arbiter in finding solutions also came in for sharp criticism at the conclave for its failure to find solutions to the imbroglio over a prolonged period of time stretching to decades.
"A solution-oriented dialogue consisting of multiple stakeholders should be the way forward which must be carried out with a sense of urgency," the CRT statement issued by Fr Braganca said.
