While the government has allowed relaxations and has permitted the taxis to operate, the taxi owners in the coastal belt feel that the season is already over for them given that there is no business from flights, inter-state transport or tourism. “What is the point in operating the taxis if there is no business? We are ready to start the taxis but business has to be there. We have been at home for more than 40 days and there is no income. Most of us have to pay instalments of loans as well as insurance premium. We already approached the Chief Minister and submitted a representation and demanded compensation for loss of income due to the lockdown”, said Raghu, who is in charge of the tourist taxi association in Mandrem.
Vasudev Arlekar, President of North Goa Tourist Taxi Owners Association explained that the taxi business is totally dependent on tourism, which is the backbone of Goa’s economy. This is a major problem for us self employed ‘Niz Goemkars’ who have no income. We demand that until the tourism begins to flourish again, the government should provide a compensation of Rs 12,000 to every taxi operator. Also the EMI, insurance premium and other taxes should be waived off from April 2020 to April 2021 and banks should not pressurise the taxi operators,” he added.
Bappa Korgaonkar concurred and also pointed out that with hotels shut, there are no customers to pick and drop and that there are no chances now of tourists visiting Goa. “Our business was already going into loss during the season but now due to this lockdown, the situation has turned from bad to worse. The government should look into this on priority basis. If government can make provision for migrants then they should also think about us ‘Niz Goemkars’, he added.
