Team Herald
PANJIM: Motorcycle Pilot Association President Suresh Thakur on Thursday said that welfare schemes for motorcycle pilots have been stopped for the last six-seven years by the government and urged that the schemes be restarted as soon as possible.
Speaking to mediapersons, he said, “There were many schemes for the motorcycle pilots but all of them have been stopped by the government since 2017-18. When Digambar Kamat was chief minister, the government started giving Rs 1,000 per month to the pilots who were 50 years old. The same was revised to Rs 2,000 when Manohar Parrikar became the Chief Minister it continued till 2017-18 but after that it has been stopped. Even the motorcycle replacement scheme which the government started has been stopped.”
“There was a scheme under which pilots were given Rs 5,000 for maintenance work. That too was stopped,” he said, pointing out that among all the States across the country it is only Goa where there are motorcycle pilots.
“Those who are in the field of motorcycle pilot business are less educated and financially weak. The government should continue to support them. This is the business Goans have created. Since the beginning we have taken a stand that the people have to be given the best service. We do not know how many Goans are there in the GoaMiles or we have no idea how it can affect business in the future,” he said.
He also said that the motorcycle pilots had requested Union Minister Shripad Naik and urged him to take an initiative which could provide them relief, but nothing was done.
When asked if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government stopped the schemes, he said, “It is up to you to draw a conclusion, but the fact is that all the schemes for pilots have been stopped and I urge the government to restart them.”
He also complained that as many as 68 pilot taxi stands notified earlier in the capital city of Panjim have been removed by the Smart City. .