VASCO: Alleging that the concerned authorities including police have began “selectively” targeting their members operating at Dabolim airport, the members of Mormugao Tourist Taxi Union (MTTU), a registered trade union of cabbies in Mormugao on Monday requested the state government to intervene and sort out their issues.
In a memorandum submitted to Deputy Collector and Sub-Divisional magistrate Mormugao, Mahadev Araundekar on Monday, MTTU President Manoj Tari have said that for the past few months their members are being summoned or fined on the basis of complaint filed by the police personnel at Dabolim airport.
He said that the charges framed include touting/guiding in nature, which are totally baseless and the fine amount if Rs 2,000, becomes very difficult to pay.
“We are engaged in the business of tourist taxi operations at Dabolim airport for past several years and this is the lone earning for us and our family. All these years, we were operating without any hassles. However, after the recent tourist taxi strike in state, the concerned agencies including the police and tourism department have started “selectively” targeting us for no reason. They are issuing us fine of Rs 2,000 by stating that we are touts, which is completely false as none of our members are involved in such activity. Also we earn around Rs 1,000 per day (after expenses) and paying such huge fine, we are actually left without any income for four days, Tari claimed.
He demanded that the state government should intervene into the matter and try to sort out the same.
We also demand that the fine of Rs 2,000 should be decreased and should be revised as it was before,” he added.
