MARGAO
The storm kicked up over Konkan Railway Corporation’s plan to start bike rental business at its seven railway stations, including Margao has hit Salcete coastal belt and other villages, with stakeholders demanding scrapping of the KRC tender, saying the tender is intended to bring corporates into the tourism rental business.
To protest against the KRC’s plan, associations of rent-a-bike operators from both North and South Goa have called for a massive meeting at the Dando grounds Benaulim on Saturday evening.
Local Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas has taken up cudgels for the beleaguered rent-a-bike operators and has made a plea to the tourism stakeholders, including yellow and black taxis operators, motorcycle pilots to attend the meeting at Dando grounds, Benaulim on Saturday evening at 5 pm.
Briefing the media, a rent-a-bike operator Seby D’Mello wondered how come the Konkan Railway is allowed to venture into rent-a-bike operation when the Goa government has capped rent-a-bike to 20 per person. “The KRC has floated a tender to run the rental business at seven railway stations. It is surprising that while the Goa government has stopped issuing licences for new bikes, the KRC has floated a tender to run the operations at seven railway stations. This shows that they want to bring in corporate houses into the business,” Seby said, adding that the local rent-a-bike operators are ready to run the business at the railway stations.
A rent-a-bike operator from Colva, Roque Fernandes said the government is now eyeing on the rental business after stopping the permits and licences of the locals eking a living on the business. “The government wants to destroy the locals into the business and get the corporate houses,” he said, while expressing fears that the KRC plan will only add to the unemployment rate in the State.
Expressing his support for the beleaguered rent-a-bike operators, Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas urged the people to join in large numbers at the Dando ground meeting on Saturday to show solidarity with the beleaguered stakeholders. He also invited the MLAs to lend their support to the rental business operators. “How are the local youth expected to eke a living when the KRC is venturing into the rent-a-bike business? The entry of Goa Miles taxis in Goa has already spelled doom for the local taxi operators. Now KRC is making forays into the tourism sector,” he said.
The Benaulim MLA urged Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to immediately speak to the KRC Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Santosh Kumar Jha and get the tender withdrawn.
Venzy said if the government and the KRC think that there’s a shortfall of rent-a-bikes in the State, the local youth are ready and willing to buy more bikes provided the government issues them the licence to operate.
