MAPUSA
Candolim Sarpanch Blaize Fernandes on Sunday assured the local tourist taxi owners that the panchayat would back them and will request all the hotels along the beach belt not to entertain GoaMiles taxis in future.
“We support the local tourist taxi drivers from the village. The Candolim panchayat will try and convince the hoteliers not to allow GoaMiles to pick up passengers from their premises,” Fernandes said.
Several tourist taxi owners present at the gram sabha demanded the local panchayat to intervene and direct all the resorts and hoteliers not to allow GoaMiles to operate in the village.
The sarpanch informed the villagers that the panchayat has enlisted the service of a private security agency to curb the menace of beggars and touts in the village.
“If anyone comes across any beggars, touts or other undesirable elements moving around on roads, people should immediately call up the concerned cell numbers,” Fernandes said while sharing the mobile numbers with the gram sabha members.
He, however, said that the panchayat cannot do anything if the same people move around on the beach as it comes under the jurisdiction of the tourism department.
A local, Lawrence Silveira requested the panchayat to take similar action on stray dogs that roam around on the beaches.
He suggested that the panchayat should look into the possibility of building a dog shelter in the village. The sarpanch informed finding land for a dog shelter was a problem but would try and find a way out on the issue.
A resident of Candolim, Damioa Teles informed that the changing rooms and toilet facility on the beach were functioning without power.
He claimed the contractor has not paid the bills and therefore the electricity was disconnected and urged the panchayat to take over the facility.
The gram sabha also approved the panchayat budget for 2021-22.
