Time has indeed run out. There is indeed no justification for the Transport Minister Sudin Dhavalikar to seek a single day more to decide when to implement the government’s own notification and its solemn promise to the court, of the mandatory installation of digital meters by all taxi operators. While the High Court has refused any further extension and not granted time for the government to take a decision, one wonders what the governments really needs to do, barring implementing its decision communicated to the Court.
The Transport Minister needs to be told this bluntly. Start acting as a true ambassador of the State and work for the State’s interests and not for a particular lobby of taxi operators. The minister is displaying an absolute lack of will to implement a key decision which it has made. This is also an act of weakness with the Transport Department acting powerless before the taxi lobby which is resisting the government, which is unable to act even after promising the High Court. The clarity and the firmness of the High Court is the only ray of hope as it has directed the government to submit its final decision on the deadline for installation of digital taxi meters by Wednesday, which is also when the bench is expected to dispose of the matter.
The court is hearing a writ petition filed by the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG), supported by Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) and other stakeholders. The main ground of the petition is that the government was illegally and unconstitutionally keeping in abeyance the implementation of the decision to install digital meters and sought directions for its immediate enforcement.
In August, 2017, Transport Minister Sudin Dhavalikar had promised that digital meters and Global Positioning System (GPS) would be implemented after the High Court order.
In September, the government said that the High Court’s order on implementation of meters would be done by month-end. It’s November now and there’s yet no sign that the government is serious about implementing the decision.
The lack of will is obvious, since it was in June 2015, that the Transport Department had issued a notification making it mandatory for the 15,000-odd tourist taxis in Goa to install GPS-enabled digital meters. It could not implement its own notification following an agitation by some taxi operators, even after the government promised 50 percent subsidy or Rs 5,000 towards its purchase.
Without any further delay the installation of digital meters must commence and be completed by this month end.
Meanwhile, taxi operators have started objecting to virtually any move to facilitate a better experience for tourists. The latest on this being the threatened agitation against car rental services at Dabolim Airport. The association of taxi operators at Dabolim Airport warned that they would go on strike if Airports Authority of India (AAI) allows car rental services to operate from the airport.
Goa airport officials are trying to introduce STC type car rental service, like many other cities in the country. For the taxi operators this is a threat since this fleet will have drivers who will charge regulated prices.
The way forward is for stakeholders to work together to ensure that impediments raised by taxi operators, which are harming tourists should be fought and nullified.
