Team Herald
PANJIM: On Day 2 of their strike, taxi operators decided to stay off the road indefinitely, until the government withdraws the notification of installing speed governors on tourist taxis.
All Goa Tourist Taxi Owners’ Association spokesperson Laxman (Bappa) Korgaonkar said the government should not delay the decision but immediately withdraw the decision.
“We will decide further course of action later, right now we have decided that all taxis will remain off the road till the demand is met. Government should not prolong the decision,” Korgaonkar said and added, “We will not be going to anybody, Chief Minister is not God, he should come here to the taxi drivers and give us in writing that speed governors’ implementation will be withdrawn.”
Over 1000 tourist taxi operators who have gathered at Azad Maidan in Panjim warned of intensifying the strike and bringing their families on the streets if the matter is not resolved in a peaceful manner.
Taxi operators have received support from the All Goa Private Bus Owners’ Association, various NGOs, Niz Goenkar Revolution Party, All Goa Shack Owners’ Association, Congress and Churchill Alemao of the Nationalist Congress Party.
All Goa Shack Owners’ Association president Cruz Cardozo said that tourism is declining and the government should take an early call on the problems of the taxi operators. He said the government policies are not fine and this was the reason the industry is suffering.
“Chief Minister and Minister for Transport should resolve the issue at the earliest or else entire tourism industry will be at the stake. I will call for a meeting of the all the members of the shack owners’ association to decide the further course of action,” Cardozo said. He added that business will suffer if the strike continues.
Former Nuvem MLA Francisco (Mickky) Pacheco also extended support to the taxi protest and appealed them to unite to fight for a cause. A taxi union leader, who was on the dais told Pacheco that he had done nothing for them when he was tourism minister and the issues are pending since then.
