Legislators call aggregator model predatory, highlight poor public transport and rising road accidents
PANAJI
MLAs from both the ruling as well as Opposition side backed the demand of the local tax unions not to permit app-based taxi aggregators to operate in the State.
Almost every legislator who participated in the discussion on the demands for grants of the Transport Department said that the taxi trade was a traditional occupation and supports thousands of families, which would certainly be in jeopardy if app-based aggregators are permitted to operate here.
Leader of the Opposition Yuri Alemao led the legislators from the Opposition benches in backing the local taxi operators, arguing that they were not opposed to the introduction of technology in taxi operations, including digitalisation, but were opposed to app-based aggregators since the very nature of the business is predatory. All Opposition MLAs — Venzy Viegas, Cruz Silva, Vijai Sardesai, Altone D'Costa and Carlos Alvares Ferreira — joined Alemao in backing the taxi operators and opposing the government's move to introduce app-based aggregators.
From the treasury benches, Calangute MLA Michael Lobo was among the most vocal in backing the local taxi operators. Several others also joined in, including Sankalp Amonkar, Praveen Arlekar, Dr Chandrakant Shetye, Delilah Lobo, Kedar Naik, Daji Salkar, Rajesh Phaldesai and Premendra Shet.
Alarm over road accidents
The Transport Department came under severe attack from MLAs over its poor performance with regard to tackling the rising rate of road accidents and related fatalities. The legislators also raised concerns over the poor condition of various bus stands across the State and the highly inefficient public transport system.
Lobo said one of the reasons for the high accident rate in Goa is the high density of vehicles on the roads. Goa, he said, has the highest per-capita density of owned vehicles. Over 15 lakh private vehicles (two- and four-wheelers) are registered with the Transport Department. “It is because public transport is unreliable,” Michael Lobo said, adding that it won't be long before a short trip between Mapusa and Panaji in your own car will take two hours or more.
“Unless you improve the public transport system, the situation will get worse. The rate at which privately owned vehicles are increasing, Goa's roads will not be enough to hold them,” Lobo said.
Curchorem MLA Nilesh Cabral questioned the government's decision to scrap the Amchi Bus scheme. He also criticised the government's policy of subsidising the KTC only to hire vehicles but not to buy them. Cabral said the government should alter this policy and give grants-in-aid to the KTC to buy new vehicles rather than only hiring them.
The Curchorem MLA also pointed out that across bus stands in the State, hundreds of two-wheelers are seen parked for several hours in a day, which he said is a symptom that the public transport system has failed to cater to the last-mile transport needs of the population.
