Taxi operators park their vehicles at the Nagzar ground on Tuesday.
PERNEM
The Mopa taxi operators continued their protest for the second day on Tuesday demanding immediate notification of the yellow-black taxi stand at Manohar International Airport in Mopa but deferred their proposed ‘Rasta Roko’ agitation to Wednesday if the government did not yield to their demands by 12 noon.
The agitating taximen parked their vehicles on the ground at Nagzar, where they have been on protest since Monday.
The taxi operators had earlier warned of ‘Rasta Roko’ on Tuesday by blocking vehicles traveling to and from the airport.
On Monday evening, the protestors met the Pernem Deputy Collector Deepak Vaingankar and discussed the matter with him.
Taxi association members Uday Mahale and Bhaskar Narulkar, RTO Officer Rajesh Naik, Pralhad Desai and GMR company officers were present at this meeting.
After discussions on various issues, the deputy collector is believed to have asked the protestors to call off the agitation and assured that locals in Pernem would be given an independent taxi counter at the Mopa Airport within five days.
Mahale told him that he would discuss with the other members of his association and take a decision accordingly. A police force was deployed to avoid any untoward situation at the place of the protest.
Section 144 imposed around Mopa airport, 6 villages
PANAJI: Anticipating disruption in traffic to and from Mopa airport and a possible law and order situation along the route on account of a proposed ‘Rasta Roko’ by agitating taxi operators on Wednesday, the North Goa magistrate has imposed Section 144 around the airport and in six neighbouring villages for a period of 60 days with effect from Tuesday.
The order issued by the district magistrate has imposed Section 144 from Sukhekulan Junction, Dhargal (NH-66) to Manohar International Airport, Mopa and 500 metres around the periphery of Manohar International Airport, Mopa and in the villages of Nagzar, Varkhand, Ugvem, Mopa, Chandel-Hassapur and Casarvarnem. The collector added that these restrictions “shall not apply to public servants on duty and to bonafide marriage or funeral processions or any special occasion or occasions.”
