GCCI: Taxi ruckus a criminal act aided by petty politicians

Panaji: Shocked after cruise passengers were practically held hostage by unruly taxi drivers, the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) blamed the taxi union leaders and “petty politicians” for tarnishing Goa’s reputation. GCCI president Ralph de Sousa demanded that the government take the taxi operators to task.
Condemning the “criminal act” of the taxi operators, the GCCI said it would follow up with the government to see that the taxi operators are punished.
“This is a criminal act abetted by petty politicians,” said de Sousa. “It takes a lifetime to brand a tourist destination, which these taxi drivers have tarnished permanently by creating a serious law and order problem.”
On December 14, passengers aboard the MV Ocean Odyssey were prevented by local taxi drivers from boarding buses for their pre-booked sightseeing tour. The GCCI said that by practically holding the tourists hostage, the tourist taxi drivers have damaged Goa’s reputation.
“The GCCI will pursue this with the government and the enforcement authorities to bring the culprits to task. This problem is not only confined to the harbour, but also to many South Goa hotels as well. This will result in tourists giving South Goa a miss and taxi drivers themselves will be without any business due to their own destructive action,” said de Sousa.
There are already reports coming in from cruise and tour operators that cruise liners will cancel port calls at Mormugao Port Authority, with some authorities speculating that Goa could be blacklisted by cruise lines.
“There is a high court order in operation, which clearly specifies that the mode of transport should be the choice of the commuter. This unruly act is a gross violation of this high court order and amounts to contempt of court,” said de Sousa.
The GCCI has issued an open apology to the cruise tourists who were harassed and “treated shabbily” by the taxi drivers.