MARGAO: After the clashes between GoaMiles taxi drivers and local cabbies at Pernem, two meetings were held in Benaulim constituency, to ensure that there is no repeat of such violence in the Salcete coastal belt.meeting also aimed to diffuse the tension between the two groups to avoid any escalations or physical brawls that would mar the image of the popular beach stretch.
While one meeting was with the taxi drivers of Cavelossim and neighbouring areas, the other meeting was in Benaulim village chaired by local MLA Venzy Viegas. The meetings were attended by local taxi owners, police and a representative of GoaMiles.
Speaking to the media after the Cavelossim meeting, Sarpanch Dixon Vaz and social activist Warren Alemao thanked the police for allowing the dialogue to happen so that the taxi drivers could convey their grievances.
Vaz added that four points were made and GoaMiles has asked for two weeks’ time to act on them. The first was that GoaMiles is not allowed to park near the hotels or send their personal numbers to guests that they drop off to the hotels from the airport. The issue of parking in the village in wait for the guests was also discouraged with the focus being put on local taxi drivers not losing their livelihood.
At the Benaulim meeting, the Colva police urged the local taxi drivers not
to take matters into their own hands but to complain to the police, who would take action.
MLA Viegas demanded that the police act suo moto without taxi drivers having to complain, particularly against alleged illegal parking. The GoaMiles representative defended their activities but assured them to take the views expressed at the meetings into consideration.
