JAY JOSHI
Securing different career opportunities in Goa for Goan citizens has been one of the greatest concerns of the government as well as the society. In this regard, transport minister Mauvin Godinho announced a couple of days ago that anyone wishing to become a taxi driver in Goa will now have to secure mandatory police clearance, submit a domicile certificate of being a Goan resident for at least 15 years, and only then, will be given a badge, certifying them as a taximan.
It is being stated that the measures announced by the government will help ensure space for Goans in the taxi business, and also reduce anti-social elements in the business. The move has received a generally positive response from the taxi drivers, but customers and tourists who spoke to TG Life opine that certain key issues still need to be addressed.
“We welcome the new measures,” says Bappa Korgaonkar, a taxi driver from Nerul. “In recent days, a lot of people from neighbouring states are entering taxi business. Taxi drivers are the ambassadors of Goa for tourists, and it is important that this business remains with Goans, and in that people with a clean record. Provisions such as police clearance will ensure that anti-social elements stay out of the business,” says Korgaonkar.
Baburao Naik, a taxi driver from Ponda states that there are some loopholes, but still agrees with the government’s announcements, “I believe this is a good development. There could be cases where people attempt submit fake domicile certificates, however, i think police clearance should ensure that only genuine Goans make it into taxi business,” says Naik.
While taximen warmly welcome the development, customers and tourists believe that key issues in the taxi business still remain unaddressed. Taxi business in Goa has had its positives as well as negatives. On one side, there have not been any significant incidents of road accidents by Goan taxi drivers, but on the other side, it has also been alleged by many customers that the tourist state’s taximen charge high fares to ferry passengers.
Divya Parmar, a tourist from UP underlines the issues relating to fares. “I do not think domicile certificate makes any sense. Police clearance for taximen is indeed a good measure, however, just making a few papers and certificates mandatory is not going to solve the issue completely from the viewpoint of the customer. One of the biggest issues for me as a tourist has been the high fares charged by the taxi drivers. This does not happen even in cities such as Mumbai. A taxi must have a metre, but the government has been reluctant to implement mandatory meters for Goan taxis,” says Parmar.
Alok Kakatkar, an engineer from Mumbai who often spends holidays in Goa, refuses to see the scenario as simple black and white. “The measure entails several questions for me. The government is quick to address the concerns of taximen, but not the customers, why is that so? This measure will not bring significant benefits to customers, but it might enable the authorities to levy fines on drivers who fail to have proper paperwork. It only appears to be a tango between businessmen and authorities,” says Kakatkar.
Customers stated that overall situation regarding public transport in Goa needs to improve. High charges by taxi drivers have resulted in Goans preferring private cars, and tourists opting for car rentals. Regulating prices and increasing the number of taxis could help reduce the number of cars on the road, and ensure better service for passengers, it was observed.
