MARGAO: An agitated crowd of local tourist taxi drivers attended the special gram sabha of Benaulim Panchayat to discuss the issue of the taxi permit granted to Vasappa Malagimani.
Although the issue was not on the agenda, the Sarpanch permitted the discussion and assured that a resolution will be taken in the upcoming panchayat meeting on Friday which has been called to demand a cancellation of the taxi permit granted to Vasappa.
Locals demanded that any application for a NOC or certificate by non-native Goan should first be displayed on the notice board for a month and then be placed before the Gramsabha for approval.
The gramsabha member demanded that till the panchayat does not take a decision, the shops operated by Lamanis must remain shut. They demanded to know the local body members who were involved in the issue of facilitating the taxi badge for Vasappa.
Remi Fernandes, a Panchayat member informed that on the request of another member, Nilesh Prabhudesai, he had contacted the hotel and asked them to issue a NOC. He further informed that he never met Vasappa and that he did not even know the name of the person for whom the NOC was sought.
Nilesh Prabhudesai said that he had checked all the documents of Vasappa and he helped Vasappa to obtain the NOC on humanitarian grounds so that he can earn a living.
Locals questioned Prabhudesai whether Vasappa resided in his ward, to which he replied in negation. The villagers further informed the gram sabha members that the local ward Panch, in which Vasappa lives, had denied his request for helping him obtain the NOC from the hotel twice. Prabhudesai was cornered for facilitating the NOC by going ahead and bypassing the local Panch.
In an attempt to save face, Prabhudesai proposed to write to the Mamlatdar to cancel the ration cards and voting cards of Lamanis in the village.
Fernandes further informed the gram sabha that Vasappa had threatened him as well as some other taxi operators.
The villagers also objected to the character certificate issued to Vasappa by the local MLA Churchill Alemao.
