NT NETWORK
VASCO
The general secretary of United Taximen Union (UTU) Herculano Dourado, on Monday, informed that the UTU will approach the High Court of Bombay at Goa over the issue of Taj India Tours being allowed to run point-to-point taxi service at the Dabolim airport.
“We had no intention to agitate, but despite of the same, the state administration deployed police in large numbers at the airport,” said president of UTU Sanjay Naik
Earlier in the day, the Dabolim airport turned into a ‘fortress’ with the deployment of heavy police force there over the anticipation that the yellow black taxi would create a ‘law and order’ problem on account of the car rental maxi cab counter becoming operational.However, no untoward incident was reported till late evening.
The UTU, who operates yellow black taxi cabs at the airport for the last four decades, has raised their strong objection to point-to-point taxi service by Taj India Tours.
The car rental maxi cab counter was inaugurated at the hands of airport director Bhupesh Chnad Hans Negi in the morning.
The situation became tense when a strong pose of police was deployed in and around the airport, following a meeting held by around 350 yellow black taxi operators.
Over 500 personnel from Goa Police, Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Rapid Action Force (RAF) besides Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) were keeping a close eye on the movement of the agitated taxi operators.
Additional collector, South, Agnelo Fernandes, deputy collector and sub-divisional magistrate, Mormugao, Mahadev Araundekar, Mormugao mamlatdar Satish Prabhu, joint mamlatdar Rosario Carvalho, deputy superintendent of police, Vasco, Sunita Sawant, deputy superintendent of police traffic, South, Prabodh Shirwaikar, Dabolim airport PI Shailesh Narvekar, Vasco PI Nolasco Raposo, assistant director of transport enforcement cell Pralhad Dessai besides other officials camped at the site and were monitoring the situation.
Araundekar said that “the permission issued by the RTA to Taj India Tours is not for the rent car service but, it is for car rental Maxi cab.”
“As per definition of Maxi cab, the vehicle can carry more than 6 passengers,” said Araundekar and added that whatever allegations and false statements that have made by the members of the UTU will be discussed at the meeting convened by the district Collector South, Margao on March 27 at around 4 pm.
The Additional Collector, South, Fernandes said that it was a matter of conflict of views among the UTU members and there was no any law and order situation at the airport with a silent protest raised by the yellow black cab operators.
The deputy collector and sub-divisional magistrate Mormugao has clearly mentioned that in case anything went wrong then the yellow black taxi operators are free to go to the proper court of law, said Fernandes and pointed out that the meeting convened by the Collector, South, on March 27 would put more light on the issues raised by the yellow black taxi operators.