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THE GOAN NETWORK
MAPUSA: Locals along the coastal belt are upset and are not shying away from making their anger felt.
And Calangute MLA Michael Lobo appears to be facing the brunt of the resentment.
If in the last week the people of Baga-Arpora condemned the local MLA for destruction of vegetation and construction of road on the verdant Baga hill, the North Goa rent-a-cab owners on Thursday slammed Lobo for supporting migrants (read lamanis) at the cost of the locals.
Interestingly, the same taxi owners who rallied behind the Calangute MLA some time back have now openly come out against him.
Protesting against the government’s move to issue licence for rent-a-cab business to a migrant, the North Goa Rent-a-Cab Association members held a morcha in Calangute and condemned Lobo for issuing a character certificate to a migrant, Surya Rathod, who they claim, is from Karnataka.
“If we go to Karnataka, will they allow us to do business over there? We are working hard and taking care of our families through this self-employed business. Why should this outsider enjoy benefits meant for us?” asked Sharon.
Sharon along with other rent-a-cab owners was addressing a gathering during the protest organised at the taxi-stand in Calangute on Thursday.
More than 500 people attended the protest morcha.
Several others condemned the Calangute MLA for going out of his way to issue a character certificate to the migrant.
Some said they will not seek the local MLA’s support any more as he has been only making promises but failed to fulfil them.
According to the North Goa Rent-a-Cab Association Vice President Nitesh Chodankar, some political leaders had supported the migrants.
He also said the Goa government had failed to gainfully employ Goans and that is why the youth flocked to UK or Gulf.
“The government has started harassing the few who have remained back. We are so disgusted that we had to join this morcha to protest against the government attitude against Goemkars. Our Goan youth will not tolerate this anymore,” Chodankar said.
Ridiculing the Calangute MLA for cozying up to migrants, Lobo’s trenchant critic, Walter Lobo, suggested that he should contest in Karnataka.
“This is parshuram bhumi and not yellama-bhumi. For next election, I will support you (Michael Lobo) in Karnataka not in Calangute,” Lobo said.
Though not present for the protest, North Goa Tourist Taxi Owners Association, spokesman Laxman Bappa Korgaonkar extended support to the rent-a-cab agitation.
“As a Goemkar, I fully back the protest. Their issue is genuine and as a blue-blooded Goan, I will support them,” said Korgaonkar.
Besides members of the North Goa Rent-a-Cab association former sarpanch, Anthony Menezes, Calangute Constituency Forum, President, Premanand Divkar and several Congress workers also took part in the protest march.
