MARGAO: Despite Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s apparent reservations about the rent-a-bike service, Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) is proceedingwith the opening of bids received for operating the initiative at railway stations. Even though the State government’s permission is required for the service to commence in Goa, KRCL will still evaluate the tender proposals.
However, the service cannot be started in Goa if the State government does not grant permission, as conveyed by Santosh Kumar Jha, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Konkan Railway Corporation Ltd (KRCL), to Chief Minister PramodSawant. Jha, who has recently taken over office, paid a courtesy visit to CM PramodSawant on Monday.
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Sawant on Tuesday stated that Jha informed him that the Konkan Railways’ decision regarding the rent-a-bike service will be communicated to the State government within the next two days. According to the tender floated by KRCL, the rent-a-bike services are to be operated at seven railway stations – five in Goa and two in Karnataka – through a single contract encompassing all seven stations.
It is to be noted that this move by KRCL faced significant opposition from local taxi and rickshaw drivers stationed at the Konkan Railway stations in Goa, as well as from Opposition MLAs.
The primary concern raised was the potential impact on their livelihoods due to the introduction of the rent-a-bike service.
In an unrelated development, several trains on the Konkan Railway route faced delays due to ongoing double-tracking work in Goa. Baban Ghatge, the Deputy General Manager of KRCL, addressed the issue on Tuesday morning, stating, “The delays were caused by the double-tracking work being carried out in Goa. He also gave an assurance that the regular train schedule was expected to resume by Tuesday evening.”
