MAPUSA
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday informed the Goa Legislative Assembly that no final decision will be taken on the contentious taxi aggregator issue until a consultative meeting with stakeholders, including taxi unions and MLAs is held later this month.
Responding to mounting pressure from Opposition MLAs over the Transport Department’s draft guidelines to introduce app-based taxi services like Uber and Ola in Goa, the Chief Minister clarified that the policy remains in the draft stage and will not be implemented without due consultation.
Sawant said the government will convene a high-level meeting between August 20 and 25, involving local taxi unions, legislators and other stakeholders to deliberate on the future of app-based taxi operations in the State. “We have not taken any decision yet. A final call will be made only after we hold discussions with all parties concerned,” Sawant said on the Assembly floor.
Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho echoed the Chief Minister’s stance, assuring the House that the interests of local taxi operators will be safeguarded. “These are only draft guidelines. We will not move forward without building consensus,” Godinho reiterated.
The discussion was triggered during Calling Attention after several Opposition members raised red flags about the potential impact of allowing national taxi aggregators into Goa’s tightly held local taxi ecosystem.
Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao criticised the government's written reply to a question on the aggregator issue, claiming it justifies the app model. “We have demanded the scrapping of the aggregator app. The reply appears to support it instead,” Alemao said.
Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas demanded a clear and unambiguous assurance from the government that the aggregator app would be scrapped altogether, and not just delayed.
St Andre MLA Viresh Borkar stirred the debate further by alleging that Uber has already begun operations in the State, despite no formal approval. “I have specific details that Uber has already started operations. How is that possible without permission?” Borkar questioned.
However, CM Sawant denied the claim, stating that Uber has not yet launched operations in Goa.
