MAPUSA
Strongly opposing plans by Konkan Railway (KR) to start a rent-a-bike service at five stations in the State, rent-a-bike and taxi operators in Calangute have demanded the cancellation of the tender and plan to meet Chief Minister Pramod Sawant in this connection on Monday.
Staging a protest meet at the football ground in Calangute on Saturday evening, tourist taxi operators, rent-a-bike and rent-a-cab operators insisted that the State government should support the locals in this business.
Feared huge losses and unemployment if the KR offered a rent-a-bike service, they decided to meet CM Pramod Sawant on Monday and submit a petition in the matter.
Sudip Tamhankar, John Lobo, Chetan Kamat, Sunil Naik, Arun Shetye, Hilda Coutinho and others opined that this scheme by the KR was a ploy to render locals unemployed.
They have warned that tourist taxi operators as well as rent-a-bike and rent-a-cab operators would pursue a legal action and even street protests to compel the KR to scrap the rent-a-bike service at five stations in the State.
