Team Herald
MARGAO: The Goa taxi owners on Thursday met TCP Minister Vijai Sardesai on the network taxi issue and demanded that the “illegal” outer state taxis be stopped.
They also demanded that tariff boards be displayed outside each hotel.
Premanand Nanoskar, president of the tourist taxi owners said, “The decision of metering the tourist taxis and having app-based taxi system is agreed but the Government has to first fulfil our demands.”
“There are over 12,000 taxi owners across Goa and our fight for justice has been on for several years. Still the Government has failed to fulfil the demands of the taxi owners,” he added.
“The compulsion of app and meters in all the legal taxis will give complete freehand to illegal taxis in Goa and the legal taxis will be at loss. The government instead has to stop the outer state taxis and illegal taxis to operate in Goa to give justice to all,” he said.
Sardesai said he would communicate all the issues and suggestions to the Chief Minister.
He said, “My personal opinion is that the interests of the Goans have to be protected at all costs. The question is how to use technology for the betterment of the customer who is king is to be resolved. We need to have a proper legal stand if this reaches the court. I have told that the government is not in favour of any platform such as Ola of Uber but we are for a Goan brand and Goan operated system”.
Meanwhile, Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao has said that the Government which has been elected on the promise of protection of Goenkarponn will succeed if they protect the interests of Goenkars involved in taxi and shack businesses.
“Several taxi owners till date work on the rates decided by the hotels and there is no info with the taxi men on how much the tourists are charged by them. If the Government doesn’t protect the interests of the taxi owners then who will,” asked Churchill.
Churchill has demanded speedy and just resolution to the problems of the taxi owners.
