PANAJI
Two ministers in the Pramod Sawant-led cabinet are now at loggerheads over the ongoing taxi operator agitation over the latter’s demand for installation of free digital meters.
A day after Ports Minister Michael Lobo demanded free installation of digital taxi meters in view of the pandemic-induced financial distress, Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho on Wednesday slammed Lobo for trying to sell them fake dreams, while also telling Lobo to mind his own business.
The Transport Minister, however, chose not to name Lobo, while taking the latter to task.
“There are efforts to confuse their (taxi drivers) mind. As a collective responsibility, perhaps he (Lobo) wants to help me, but I want to tell these people, please manage the waste properly. Let the waste of Goa be handled properly. Let people be happy with the waste management being handled properly. Then perhaps he can interfere in other places,” Godinho said.
“It is not right to poke your nose in every place. This is not healthy functioning. He is forcing me to speak, but sometimes you have to because they do not know their place,” the Transport Minister also hit back.
On Tuesday, Lobo had said that he had met Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and urged the latter to provide digital meters free of cost to taxi drivers, claiming that the lobby was in financial distress and was even skipping bank EMIs.
Godinho said that taxi drivers would be refunded fully, after they pay up initially for the digital meter, but ruled out the possibility of giving these free of cost.
“Now, some people are saying meters should be given free. Tomorrow, if a meter is installed and before it is fully operational, if the meter is broken, then who will take responsibility? We give a meter free, but with responsibility. So at least they know when they are paying for the meter, they will look after it. I had to say this openly,” Lobo said.
“Those who are demanding that the meter should be given free, they had initially tried to interfere with taxi operators. Because taxi operators are not approaching them, they are showing them wrong dreams. And because they chose not to contact the transport ministry to resolve the issue, the issue has been in limbo for a year,” Godinho also said.
