PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Thursday directed the police to take swift action against taxi operators whose unwarranted behaviour forced a group of 100 American tourists to cancel a sight-seeing trip after their arrival at Mormugao Port.
Sawant has ordered an inquiry while also warning local cab drivers that the government will not tolerate such incidents in future.
“Such behaviour of local tourist taxi drivers won’t be tolerated… If taxi drivers have assaulted the bus driver, they will be arrested. I have instructed the police to take quick action against the erring taxi drivers,” he said, reacting to the incident that has led to Goa’s global embarrassment.
On Wednesday, taxi drivers stopped buses that had gone to the port to pick up US tourists who arrived on the cruise ship ‘Ocean Odyssey’. The tourists walked almost a kilometre to board the buses but returned to the ship after the local cab drivers created a ruckus by not allowing them to use the bus service.
“It is sad that our visitors had to go through all this…Taxi drivers’ dadagiri and goondagiri will not be tolerated,” the CM said, reiterating that the State is committed to providing warm hospitality to all its guests worldwide.
Earlier in the day, the tour operators from the MPT met the CM to convey their grievances about the incident.
“The US tourists were held like hostages by the taxi drivers. We condemn the act,” said one of the cruise operators, after the delegation’s meeting with the CM and tourism officials in Panaji.
