Team Herald
MARGAO: Earlier in the day, Parag Raikar, along with taxi drivers of an aggregator company as well as bus and tempo drivers, criticised the way they are being restricted from conducting their business in the Benaulim constituency.
In a video that went viral, Raikar, a businessman and freedom fighter’s son, questioned whether the MLA and Sarpanchas from Benaulim take a cut of the union fees while mocking the concept of union fees, that gives a monopoly to local taxi drivers for business in the area.
He rhetorically questioned if Benaulim is part of India or Pakistan, implying that the rules of the Indian Constitution and the prevailing laws in the State are not being followed when private taxi app drivers or tempo/bus drivers are not allowed to pick up or drop off guests from/to hotels in the Benaulim constituency. He added rhetorically that if the MLA and Benaulim taxi drivers believe in territorial politics, then the Colva circle should be the exit and entry point for taxi owners from Benaulim. He suggested that these taxi drivers could pick up guests from the hotels and drop them at the Colva circle near the Margao bus stand, from where taxi aggregators would send these guests to the airport or their desired location. He said the same would work vice versa.
Raikar added that customers should be free to choose whichever mode of transport they prefer.Raikar also pointed out that taxi stands outside hotels are not officially notified or permitted by the Tourism or Transport Department. Additionally, Raikar expressed concerns about drunken-driving among local taxi drivers and suggested that breathalyser tests could be conducted to address this issue. He called for Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s intervention and accused the Benaulim MLA of misinterpreting the law for personal benefit.
Raikar refuted claims that private taxi aggregators cannot park on public roads, stating that this is not illegal. He emphasised that the people employed by taxi aggregators are also Goan and not “outsiders” as they have been labelled and have the right to conduct business in Benaulim.