PANAJI
Congress President Shantaram Naik has sought an appointment with Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Sunday noon at his official residence at Altinho in order to discuss the taxi owners’ demands.
Naik placed a call to the CM in front of the protesting taxi owners at Azad Maidan on Saturday evening and assured them that Congress will voice their demands before the state government.
“The state has invoked Essential Services Maintenance Act, which attracts six months imprisonment. I am ready to go to jail with you,” Naik told the screaming crowd.
Former Chief Minsiter and Margao MLA Digambar Kamat sought to point out that it is the government’s duty to look after the smallest units of the state and society. “When I was the Chief Minister, I had given a specific assurance to the tourist taxi owners that my government will not impose this rule on them without their consent. We kept our word,” he said.
Kamat urged the government to strike a dialogue to seek solution and said, “The government should meet a delegation of the taxi owners to resolve this issue. It not a good sign to bring so many people out on the roads. All Congress MLAs are ready to join this talk.”
Navelim MLA and former Congress President Luizinho Faleiro alleged that “the government does not have the heart to resolve this issue. “I can assure you that Congress party will always stand with you,” he declared.
Faleiro argued that the main stakeholders are the taxi owners and appealed to the government to understand that threatening to bring Ola Uber in Goa cannot be practical. “Transport is a subject which is in the concurrent list and the state government has the right to amend the law as per the wishes of Goans,” he highlighted.
