the goan I network
MARGAO
The agitation against GoaMiles Taxi App service intensified on Monday as a bandh in support of local tourist taxi operators was observed in the tourist village of Colva, with Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao and tourist taxi operators from across the state threatening to stage a Goa bandh if the government did not step in and scrap the GoaMiles Taxi App service.
Besides Churchill, Congress MLAs Reginaldo Lourenco and Wilfred D’Sa expressed their solidarity with the tourist taxi operators at Colva on Monday evening and urged those espousing the cause of Goem, Goemkar and Goemkarponn to protect the interests of the Niz Goemkar tourist taxi operators.
Claiming that outsiders sans badges and domicile are making forays into the tourist taxi business under the GoaMiles App banner, they were all unanimous in their demand that the government re-introduce badges to ply taxis and also raise the domicile ceiling to 25 years from the existing 15 years.
Leaders of the tourist taxi operators along with black and yellow taxi owners converged at Colva on Monday evening to show their solidarity with the Colva tourist taxi operators, who have been opposing parking of GoaMiles taxis inside the GTDC-owned Colva Residency hotel.
Terming the GoaMiles App taxi a scam, the tourist taxi operators blamed GTDC Managing Director Nikhil Desai for promoting GoaMiles Taxi service, which they claimed threatened the very livelihood of the local tourist taxi operators.
Addressing the media, Churchill said that he has made known to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant about the woes of tourist taxi operators and that, they would have no option but call for a Goa bandh to protect the interest of local taxi operators. “Let these taxis operate from cities, but we will not tolerate if locals, who have invested in tourist taxis and are eking a livelihood are displaced by the GoaMiles taxis. Come what may, we will not allow parking of GoaMiles taxis at the Colva Residency,” Churchill thundered.
The Benaulim MLA warned that incidents such as the Sri Lanka Church bombings will take place in Goa if no verification of antecedents are conducted on outsiders running business in the State,
and domicile norms ignored. Congress MLAs Reginaldo Lourenco and Wilfred D’Sa offered their full support to the agitating tourist taxi operators. “I believe that Goans should be first in Goa than the rest. Badges for taxi drivers have been withdrawn to make way for GoaMiles. The badges and the domicile norms should be restored,” Reginaldo demanded.
MLA Wilfred feared that the tourist taxi business will slip into the hands of outsiders if GoaMiles taxi service has its way. “The Congress party will join the tourist taxi operators on the roads to demand scrapping of GoaMiles,” Wilfred added.
Tourist taxi leader from North Goa Bappa Korgaonkar warned that local tourist taxi operators are not wearing bangles as he threatened to hit the roads to protect the interests of the operators. “Let us all be ready for a sustained agitation against GoaMiles,” he said, while commending MLAs Churchill, Reginaldo and Wilfred for rallying behind the tourist taxi operators.
Chetan Kamat of All Goa Taxi Owners Association and Sunil Naik of Black and Yellow Taxi Association offered their support to the Colva tourist taxi operators. They pointed out that GoaMiles taxis are being run by outsiders without badges and without the mandatory domicile requirement.
Calangute-based Tourist taxi operator Anthony D’Souza said attempts are being made to hand over the self-employed tourist taxi business from the local operators to the corporates. “The tourist taxi operators are all Goans, while 90 per cent of the GoaMiles taxi drivers are outsiders,” he added.
COLVA TRADERS DOWN SHUTTERS TO BACK LOCAL TAXI OPERATORS
Sawant held a special meeting in his chamber at the Secretariat on Monday where he held consultation with various stakeholders in a bid to resolve the rift. Earlier on Monday, the police had booked Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao allegedly for instigating a law and order situation in Colva.
Emerging from the meeting, Sawant told the media that his government will provide security to Goa Miles taxis operating in Goa. He also said Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao will have to face the course of the law in connection with the police complaint filed against him by the cab drivers.
