PANJIM: At the meeting organised by the Varca village panchayat with the stakeholders to discuss the Goa Miles issue, resolved that the panchayat will write to the transport minister and tourism minister to permit the Goa Miles taxis, to only drop passengers and not pick up any guests from hotels in the village.

The government was also to be asked to revive the badge system so that only Goans get to drive the taxis. The taxi owners in turn agreed to have meters fixed, provided the meters charge the same rates notified in the Government Gazzette.

Representatives of five of the 10 hotels operating in the village, who were present, said they sympathised with the taxi owners, who pointed out that they are not only Goans but also self employed, feeding their family with what they earn by driving the taxis.

However, in contrast, taxi owners alleged that the drivers of the Goa Miles taxis are employed drivers, most of who are not even from Goa.

The hotel representatives rejected the taxi owner’s demand that they tell their guests not to use Goa Miles service. “Goa Miles is a legal entity and if we advise our guests not to use it, there is every possibility of our license being cancelled,” they explained, pointing out how Goa Miles drivers are putting the taxi owners in trouble by filing cases against them.

The taxi owners had demanded that Goa Miles taxis should not be allowed to enter the hotel premises as the drivers do that and reportedly provoke the tourist taxi owners so that they can file complaints with the police.

Incidentally, there was a lot of unrest over the fact that representative of Zuri Resort did not come for the meeting as the taxi owners said they faced most problems with that hotel. They recalled that when tourism trade was being opposed, the hoteliers had assured the villagers that they would get all opportunities to earn their livelihood through the hotels.

Sarpanch Shalini Pereira, said she will be writing to all the hotels, where they will be told to put up posters advising guests not to use Rent-a-Cab or any other tourist service except for the one promoted by the hotel as most hotels in any case send an advisory to this effect whenever anyone does a booking.

“Yellow and black taxi drop passengers from the airport to the hotel and go back empty. Why cannot Goa Miles adopt the same practice,” asked Simiao Fernandes, a taxi owner who added that they had no objection, if Goa Miles only dropped the passengers as they are opposing the act of Goa Miles taxis waiting near the hotel to pick up a passenger on their return trip. 

The taxi owners, some of whom are also panchayat members succeeded in telling the panchayat to write letters to the two ministers, detailing their grievances and pointing out that they are self employed persons while Goa Miles is a business enterprise.

Interestingly, the taxi owners ignored the suggestion that they meet their MLAs and get the government to come out with a law to protect their business, since they are self employed and are not demanding any government jobs or dole.