PANAJI
Even as two taxi operators were arrested in connection with the clashes with a tour operator when a cruise ship arrived in the State on December 14, a prominent tour operator and pioneer in cruise tourism in the State has squarely blamed the police for lapses which led to the fiasco.
Speaking on behalf of all cruise tour operators, Otto de Oliveira Fernandes, proprietor of the International Travel Bureau at Panaji, said the Mormugao police had been intimated by the tour operator well in advance and he also refuted press statements by South Goa SP Abhishek Dhaniya that there was no communication between tour operators and taxi drivers.
“When ships arrive at Mormugao port, 50 percent of the tourists usually take organised tours and these are booked at the time of booking the cruise. Tour operators only provide services to tourists on these pre-booked tours. There are other tourists who prefer to visit the State on their own and they usually hire taxis,” said Fernandes.
“Incidentally, there were three cruise ships on December 14 and I was the tour operator for one of them. However, I did not have any problem with the taxi operators. They claim that they do not get sufficient business from cruise tourism but on that day, over 250 taxis were hired by cruise tourists,” said Fernandes.
Fernandes pointed out that the tour operator ‘Le Passage to India’ had obtained the requisite permission to enable their coaches and staff enter the cruise terminal to pick up the tourists when the cruise ship arrived on December 14.
“All tour operators planning to provide transportation services, be it cars, coaches, guides, staff, etc., obtain prior procurement of electronic RFID passes and this is applied days prior to the cruise ship’s arrival,” said Fernandes, while explaining the procedures followed by tour operators.
“Without these electronic RFID passes, transportation as well as tour staff and guides cannot enter the port. These passes for all have to be checked by CISF personnel at the gate and allowed entry after due verification. In this instant case too, the tour operator had the requisite electronic RFID passes for transportation and tour staff and guides,” said Fernandes.
“Moreover, the Mormugao police was informed of the cruise ship’s arrival on December 10, four days prior to the ship’s arrival on December 14. The police have to acknowledge that it was the lapse of the Mormugao Police Inspector and not the tour operators.”
Fernandes insisted that the taxi operators did not allow the buses to proceed despite having the RFID passes.
“The manager of La Passage had enough physical proof of the passes in hand for the coaches, guides and office staff. The coaches were stopped about 1 km away from the Harbour by the drivers who forcefully restrained them from proceeding to the Harbour gate,” said Fernandes.
“The elderly American passengers who had already disembarked to go for the excursion were fed up waiting for the coaches and as such walked that 01 km where the buses were restrained.”
“They tried to enter the coaches but the taxi drivers blocked them and sent them away which they did by walking back in the sun to the ship. The taxi drivers also brutally assaulted one of the coach drivers and he has suffered a ruptured ear drum. A case was filed and the accused drivers have arrested.”
Fernandes refuted the press statements by South Goa SP Abhishek Dhaniya.
“The SP claims there was no communication between tour operators and taxi drivers as they were not kept informed. The tour operators have no obligation to inform taxi drivers as they do not acknowledge their entity. The tour operators do their part by informing the local police of their schedule and that is more than sufficient,” said Fernandes.
