the goan I network
MARGAO
In a major decision, North and South Goa tourist taxi owners and operators on Wednesday resolved to approach the Supreme Court against the contentious issue of speed governors for the tourist taxis.
That’s not all. In another major decision, the tourist taxi operators and the bus owners have resolved to form a federation to take on the might of the government on issues affecting the operators, specially regarding the KTC’s decision to introduce taxis and to operate on routes hitherto left for private bus operators.
This was decided at the annual general body meeting of the South Goa Tourist Taxi Association held at Cavelossim on Wednesday evening.
The meeting was attended by North Goa Tourist taxi Association leaders, Bapa Korgaonkar and Sanjay Vengurlekar, besides bus transport operator Sudip Tamankar.
Given that their North Goa counterparts have already resolve to knock the doors of the Supreme Court with a petition against the speed governors, the South Goa Tourist Taxi Association lent their support to the move by ratifying the decision at Wednesday’s meeting.
After the meeting, executive committee member of the South Goa Tourist Taxi Association, Roque Fernandes told the media that the tourist taxi operators from both North and South Goa will jointly approach the Supreme Court with the petition.
“We have been told that the government will file a petition in the Supreme Court. Let them file their petition, we have decided to file out own petition in the Apex Court,” Roque said, adding that tourist taxi operators have agreed to contribute money to rope in a lawyer to represent the Association’s case in the SC.
Meanwhile, leader of Bus owners Association Sudip Tamankar told the media after the meeting that the bus owners and the tourist taxi owners have resolved to come together and form a Federation for the common good of both the transport operators in view of government’s sustained attempts to work against its interests.
“At the outset, both the tourist taxi owners and the bus owners will join the Federation. Later, we will approach the rickshaw associations and associations of motorcycle pilots to join the federation to make it a force to reckon with,” he said.
Tamankar said the government is working against the bus operators as well as the tourist taxi owners, which are operated by Goemkars.
“They have introduced KTC bus on routes operated by the private bus operators. And, now they want to introduce KTC taxi service and encroach in the business of the tourist taxi operators,” Tamankar said, while issuing a warning to the government that it will get a befitting response in the event any attempt is made to encroach upon their turf.
In the meantime, a member of the South Goa Tourist taxi association has demanded that the government hand over an assurance to the South Goa tourist taxi operators that the taxi business will not suffer when Mopa becomes a reality and operations continue at the Dabolim airport.
“Tourist taxi operators from South Goa should not be left high and dry after the commencement of Mopa airport,” he warned.
