MARGAO
Train services on the Konkan Railway route have not been affected in a big way due to the ongoing lockdown in the State.
A couple of trains have been temporarily suspended for the moment, but the popular Konkan Kanya, Mandovi Express run as usual between Margao and Mumbai every day.
Black and Yellow taxi drivers and operators operating from the Margao railway station, however, have nothing to cheer about. In fact, they claimed that the emerging Covid crisis across the country has hit hard their income and their very livelihood in recent times.
The pre-paid taxi counter remains open to facilitate passengers to hire the black and yellow taxis, but business has not been the same as in the past.
President of the Margao Taxi Drivers and Operators Association Sandeep Arlekar said that some of the members do not get a single business for days. “We all go to the railway station with the hope of getting a trip, but in vain. We have decided to keep the pre-paid taxi counter open, but the business is not forthcoming like in the past. Sometimes, it takes days to get a trip,” he said.
While the taxi owners and operators make it to the railway station every day with the hope of getting a trip, many of them return home disappointed. “Not all passengers hire a taxi. Some prefer to hire an auto rickshaw and motorcycle pilot. Then there are private operators, who also take a share of the business,” Arlekar said.
With the lockdown in place and the Covid situation worsening with each passing day, the taxi operators are indeed keeping their fingers crossed over their fate in these testing times.
