PANAJI
Insisting that digital meters from only one supplier is unacceptable, the All Goa Bus Owners Association (AGBOA) and North Goa Tourist Taxi Association (NGTTA) have served an ultimatum to the State government to immediately withdraw its decision on the mandatory fitment of digital meters on commercial taxis.
"The government’s decision to compel taxi operators to purchase digital meters from a single vendor at high rates is dubious. There is scope for corruption in this decision. Like as the government’s decision on High Security Registration Plates (HSRP) was struck down by a court, there is a strong legal ground that the government’s decision on digital meters will also be struck down in court,” said Sudip Tamhankar of the AGBOA.
The transport department has sent a notice to taxi operators warning that taxi permits could be cancelled if taxi operators did not fit digital meters before the mandated deadline.
“Though the State government has amended the law to make provisions for fitment of digital meters, this law is not applicable for other state commercial vehicles. This will allow other state operators to operate with the upper hand in Goa and Goan taxi operators will lose out on the business,” said Tamhankar.
NGTTA leader Bappa Korgaonkar said all tourist taxi operators have opposed fitment of digital meters and said they would continue to oppose digital meters till the government revokes permissions to the GoaMiles app-based taxi service.
“By threatening to cancel the permits of Goan taxi operators if they do not install digital meters, does the government want to render a thousand taxi operators jobless,” asked Korgaonkar.
