the goan I network
MAPUSA
Union Minister of State for AYUSH and North Goa Lok Sabha candidate of BJP, Shripad Naik faced trying time during his election campaign in Calangute on Sunday after angry taxi-men gheroed him and demanded to either ban the app-based taxi operations in State or face consequences during the parliamentary election.
The members of North Goa Tourist Taxi Owners Association (NGTOA) urged Naik to take the initiative to ban Goa Miles App and also block entry of zoomcar, Ola and Uber taxi service in Goa.
“If our demand is not met before the election then it will have adverse effect on your (Shripad Naik) prospects in the Lok Sabha election,” Laxman (Bappa) Korgaonkar warned.
Naik along with acting Speaker of Goa Assembly, Micheal Lobo was on a campaign tour in Calangute constituency on Sunday.
The North Goa Lok Sabha candidate’s campaign was kicked off in the morning from Lobo’s residence in Parra.
Naik was addressing a corner meeting in the premises of Shantadurga temple in Calangute in the evening. Soon after the meeting, NGTOA President Vassudev Arlekar, General Secretary, Vinayak Nanoskar, spokesperson Laxman (Bappa) Korgaokar and other members gheroaed him.
“The tourism department is trying to challenge and finish our local taxi business by bringing Goa Miles and other app-based taxi service providers in Goa. Our members are opposing them but instead of protecting our interest government is harassing us by filing cases against our members through the police,” Korgoankar told Naik.
He urged the Union Minister of State for AYUSH to convene a meeting of the Chief Minister and all the concerned stakeholders and stop Ola, Uber and other taxi service from Goa once for all.
Korgaokar virtually threatened the BJP North Goa Lok Sabha candidate of consequences in the parliamentary election if the demand was not looked into and resolved before the election.
Naik assured the NGTOA members to take up their issue before Chief Minister, Pramod Sawant and try to find a solution on the issue within eight days.
