Team Herald
PERNEM: The Mopa taxi operators on Wednesday said that they will adopt wait and watch strategy over Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho’s statement to resolve their issues of a taxi stand and a pre-paid counter at the Mopa international airport.
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A delegation of Greenfield Mopa Airport Taxi Association met the Transport Minister and placed their six demands including the starting of a pre-paid counter for taxis at the new airport, a long standing demand which was supposed to have been met when the first flight landed at Mopa airport.
The taxi operators have agreed to change the colour of taxis from yellow and black to blue and white cabs, since yellow and black colour was outdated. They also demanded that the government should not freeze granting of permits to taxis after allotting 300 permits and continue issuing permits as and when the number of flights increases at the airport.
The taxi operators also agreed to pay the parking fees and the necessary fees to the private airport operator.
After the meeting, Greenfield Mopa Airport Taxi Association leader Bhaskar Narulkar said, “We have agreed to the assurance given by Transport Minister over the taxi stand. All this while we remained patient so if we are getting our demands fulfilled then we can definitely wait for another two weeks.”
Narulkar stated that the Minister has agreed to fulfil all their demands.
Narulkar warned that if the government fails to resolve their demands within a fortnight then they will decide their future course of action.
Greenfield Mopa Airport Taxi Association president Uday Mahale pointed out that since January this year after commissioning of the new airport, they have been agitating for a taxi stand.
He recalled that they were given several assurances by the government but they were never fulfilled.
“We have now been told that the procedure for the taxi stand is processed and the Minister has assured us to notify the stand within next two weeks. We will wait for the same to happen and till then we will keep our protest in abeyance for two weeks till the government notifies the taxi stand,” Mahale said.
