Taximen need to liberate their mindset, else we will lose: Min

Panaji: Transport minister Mauvin Godinho said on Monday that there is a need to liberate minds so that tourists continue visiting the state.
“Minds have to be liberated,” he said on Monday, which was Liberation Day. “Unless you have liberal minds, sometimes you are caught up in some different thoughts and we become slaves of those thoughts. That has to go. The taxi people have an old mindset that they will only do one or two trips a day. Those days have gone. Earlier, there was one airport and one flight, but now, with two airports, there will be a hundred flights landing and taking off. A lot of charters want to come, and there is going to be business for everyone, but unless we have discipline and regulate it, we will lose, and no one will come.”
He also said that Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri are being developed, and that Goa has to be concerned. “It is not only the government but everyone has to think that I am a stakeholder, I am involved, it should be my efforts to see that things go well,” he said.
Godinho, asserting that taxi drivers are the real ambassadors of Goa, said that tourists coming to Goa first interact with taxi drivers, and their behavior is the first and lasting impression.
Speaking at the Liberation Day function at Vasco, Godinho regretted the recent incident involving foreign tourists, and maintained that Goa is a peaceful state. “Such incidents will certainly damage the face of Goa,” he said.
“We are competing with the world, which has now become a global village,” he said. “Opposing mentality and mistakes will divert tourists to neighboring states.” He added that tourists, on their arrival, should have their own choice to select their mode of transport. He also promised that both airports would function in the state.
Godinho said that it is the responsibility of the people to think positively. He said that the Mopa airport and Zuari bridge are among the best infrastructural projects in the state. “The government is making all efforts to bring better infrastructure projects to the state,” he said. “Goa will soon emerge as the best logistics hub in the country.