Team Herald
PORVORIM: Calangute MLA Michael Lobo on Monday demanded that the issues between tourist taxis and rent-a-cabs should be resolved immediately as the Government had assured them back in 2012 to fulfill their demands.
He also demanded that handicap friendly ramps should be built at all bus stops in Goa and demanded implementation of taxi-meters and also informed that the revision in rates is required and that service station for maintenance for taxi meters is required.
Meanwhile, he mentioned that no toilet facilities are available at Goa’s premier beach Calangute and that Calangute gets drinking water only on alternate days.
Lobo also demanded that the two bus bays are not sufficient and asked the government to speed up with the four already sanctioned.
Meanwhile, MLA Siddharth Kunkolienkar informed the State legislative assembly that new government quarters should be constructed at Altinho as the old ones are over 40 years old. There was no proper planning while constructing the same, he said.
He further demanded that Panjim KTC bus stand should be replaced with an ultra modern one and suggested that the project can be taken on PPP basis.
Demanding that additional five ferry boats are currently the need of the hour at the Panjim-Betim route he suggested that new ferry routes between Panjim to Aldona, Banastarim and Chorao should be started. Life saving equipment on the ferries is also missing and should be immediately looked into, he said.
Kunkolienkar demanded that new licences to two-wheeler motorcycle pilots should be started immediately and said that this is the main reason for decline in motorcycle pilots.
Political issue: Independent MLA Rohan Khaunte said the ongoing fight between the tourist taxi operators and rent a cab services has turned a political issue causing inconvenience to the tourists arriving in the state.
The MLA demanded that government should make digital meters compulsory for the taxis across Goa. He also demanded a separate budget be formulated for the Kadamba bus services.
He was participating in the discussion opposing the cut motion moved by Leader of Opposition Pratapsingh Rane.
He further demanded that Panjim-Malim ferry is need of the hour to decongest traffic on Mandovi Bridge and also informed that the Government should find alternate water way transports which will help in diverting the traffic to a great extent.
He suggested that the Government should immediately replace the ferries with new ones.
, which will be useful not only to the locals but even the tourists arriving in the state.
The traffic management should be put in proper place and RTO officials sitting in offices should monitor traffic violations to help a lot in preventing accident which are on the rise especially on the NH17 highway.
He demanded that all the potholes should immediately taken care. Despite increase in taxes the revenue generated by the Government is going on decreasing from new purchase of vehicles.
The MLA also demanded that heavy motor vehicles should be barred from entering the cities during peak hours from morning 8 a.m. to evening 8 p.m. which will help a lot in decongesting the traffic.
