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MARGAO
World famous Colva beach, which was the epicenter of the agitation against GoaMiles taxi service, was relatively quite on Friday. The 150-odd tourist taxi operators joined their taxi counterparts from across the State to keep their vehicles off the roads as part of the State-wide strike against GoaMiles taxis.
A visit to Colva beach revealed that the government had mobilised strong police force to deal with any law and order situation. Police pickets were set up at the beach, near the Colva Residency as well as the four roads junction near the Church as a precautionary measure.
The tourist taxi counter, just outside the Colva Residency, which otherwise bustles with activity on any given day, wore a deserted look. With the tourist taxis staying off the roads, the counter was unmanned on Friday. With no business for the day, only a motley group of tourist taxi operators were spotted seated on a bench adjoining the taxi counter, chatting amongst themselves on their future and waiting for the latest developments on the issue from the government side.
They could see a couple of GoaMiles taxis bringing in and taking back customers, but did not get provoked by the business being carried out by the app-based taxi service right in front of their eyes. No one, however, could give a guarantee that the situation will remain peaceful if the strike continues for more than a day or two. And, they only hoped the government and the MLAs would see reason and protect their interests by scrapping the GoaMiles taxi app.
Even the police and administration is aware of one fact that the taxi business has been the livelihood of the 150-odd taxi operators over the years. “We eke a living on the taxi business. We are against GoaMiles taxis as the app-based taxi service has threatened to displace us from our very livelihood. Just imagine when the GoaMiles taxis take away our daily bread, leaving us with nothing to take home at the end of the day,” remarked a Colva-based tourist taxi operator.
Another operator echoed similar sentiments. He demanded to know how they are supposed to sustain their families when GoaMiles taxis come to Colva and ferry the passengers.
Colva was in the news over the GoaMiles taxi issue after a app-based taxi was stoned when it was returning back after dropping a passenger. Local Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao was also booked by the Colva police for allegedly manhandling a GoaMiles taxi driver before the agitation spread to other areas along Salcete coastal belt as evident by the FIRs registered against the local tourist taxi operators for restraining GoaMiles taxi drivers from picking up customers from the hotels.
