MARGAO
The sensitive issue over the tourist taxi permit issued to a Laamani took the special gram sabha of Benaulim meeting by storm as agitated local operators resolved not to allow the Laamanis to do business in the village till the NOC issued to the Laamani to ply a tourist taxi is revoked by the hotel.
In another development, Sarpanch Dielle Pereira promised to call a special meeting of the panchayat body on Friday to take a decision on the sensitive issue, even as the tourist taxi operators vowed not to allow the Laamanis to run business stalls pending the resolution of the issue.
The tourist taxi operators, who had come for the meeting in large numbers seeking action in the matter, also demanded appropriate action against the migrant for issuing threats to the local youth. While condemning the character certificate issued by the local MLA Churchill Alemao to the Laamani, they made it clear to the panchayat body that in future the panchayat should display on the notice board, inviting suggestions and objections from local villagers, before any such documents are issued to the migrants.
“This migrant does not deserve any character certificate since he has issued threats to the local youth through a panch member. In future, the panchayat should be cautious,” leader of the tourist taxi operators Roque Fernandes told the panchayat members.
Panch Remy Fernandes told the meeting that he had asked the hotel general manager to issue the letter to Vasu Laamani upon a request from his colleague panch Nilesh Prabhudesai.
Remy further informed that Vasu has told him to send a message to the tourist taxi operators that he is ready to face them with his boys.
Explaining his stand, Panch Nilesh Prabhudesai clarified that he had asked Remy to talk to the hotel general manager after Vasu approached him with all documents such as voting card, Aadhar card, further saying that Vasu claimed that he is residing at Pedda-Benaulim in a bungalow.
“As a panch member, we have to take decisions without taking into consideration the person’s caste or creed. I had requested Remy to talk to the hotel general manager since I had no connection with any of the hotels,” he said, even as he came under fire from the taxi operators, who held him responsible behind the sensitive issue.
Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao, who had issued the character certificate also came under criticism from some of the gram sabha members.
Gram sabha member Rudolf Barretto said that if the migrant has issued a threat to the local youth, the
panchayat should treat it as a serious issue and take the matter at the highest level to check anti-social activities of outsiders.
Taxi operator Roque reminded the panch members that taxi business is the only business left with the local youth, who are eking out a livelihood without depending on government and other jobs.
