VASCO
Tension prevailed outside Dabolim airport on Wednesday afternoon after a member of the yellow-black taxi association operating at Dabolim Airport was allegedly assaulted by a group of unauthorised private taxi operators.
According to sources, the unauthorised private taxi operators had been soliciting clients at the airport.
This angered the Yellow-Black Taxi Association and a complaint was filed at the Dabolim police station. Acting on the complaint, police began taking strict action and started registering cases against the private taxi operators.
The group of unauthorised private taxis got upset over the police action and got into verbal confrontations with some members of the yellow-black taxi operators in the last few days.
Sources said on Wednesday, a driver who had gone out of the airport area to bring his taxi to the Dabolim Airport was confronted by a group of private taxi operators.
The arguments ended in a scuffle and the group of private taxi operators allegedly assaulted the driver and he was shifted to a nearby hospital.
The incident outraged the yellow-black taxi operators, who gathered at the airport and later filed a complaint at the Dabolim police station, demanding immediate police action in the matter.
The yellow-black operators said they wanted justice and quick action, failing which they threatened to remain at the Dabolim police station.
"We have a registered counter at the airport, but in the last few days some private taxi operators, who don't even have a batch, are engaged in harassing guests and forcing them to move in their taxis and we term them as hijackers,” said Prasad Prabhu Gaonkar, a yellow-black taxi operator.
“They are upset that we had filed a complaint with the police and these hijackers began stopping every driver and threatening them since morning.”
“After our entire group assembled to find out who was threatening our member, we came to know that one member was assaulted by around 30-35 private taxi operators.”
“The injured driver has been shifted from Chicalim Sub District Hospital to GMC hospital. We demand action by police in this matter,” Gaonkar added.
When contacted, Dabolim Airport Police Inspector Gurudas Kadam said the police were only allowing legal taxi operators at Dabolim airport.
"We don't entertain other taxi operators and touting of taxi services. We have also informed all legal taxi operators to inform us of any such illegal touting activities.”
“I was in Margao for a meeting and was later informed of this incident outside the airport. We will ensure strict action in this case," said PI Kadam.
