MARGAO: North and south Goa tourist taxi owners have decided to keep their vehicles off the road indefinitely from January 19 onwards in protest against the inaction of the state government in resolving their issues.
During a meeting held at Benaulim on Sunday evening, taxi owners from both, the north and south Goa tourist taxi associations decided to keep their vehicles off the road until the government resolves their demands that include a crackdown on illegal taxis and cancelling the installation of speed governors.
Speaking to media persons, South Goa Tourist Taxi Owners Association president Roque Fernandes said that the government was only making promises and not fulfilling them. “There has been too much injustice done to us. The government is constantly promising us but not doing anything about it. RTO officers also unnecessarily harass us and don’t give our fitness certificate and other documents and instead take our licence and don’t pass our cars,” said Fernandes.
Opposing the installation of speed governors, president of the North Goa Tourist Taxi Owners Association Vasudev Arlekar said it would not work in the state and instead affect their business. “We are also against the speed governors because we won’t get any customers. There are customers who say they have to reach the airport in one hour from Calangute and if speed governors are installed in our vehicles, they will not work as per the customers’ requirements. That’s why we are opposing and from January 19 we all will stay off the roads,” he said.
Members of both the associations have been constantly asking the state authorities to clamp down on illegal taxis operating in the state. They said they are fed up with nothing being done by the government.
The South Goa Tourist Taxi Owners Association had in the past taken up the issue with Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar with the assistance of Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao and Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai. The Association had also requested South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar to intervene.