TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: The South Goa Tourist Taxi Owners Association has resolved to continue their ongoing strike against Olacab taxi service till the government comes out clear on their long pending demands on Wednesday.
At a meeting of tourist taxi operators at Dando ground, Benaulim, Association president Seby Fernandes told the tourist owners that the future of the agitation will be known only after Wednesday’s joint meeting with the Chief Minister. “The future of our ongoing movement against taxi operators from outside the state will be known after discussions with the Chief Minister in Panjim on Wednesday. Till such time, we will continue our strike”, he said.
Benaulim MLA Caitu Silva said he would take up the cause of the tourist taxi owners at the meeting with the Chief Minister on Wednesday. “I will present the case of the tourist taxi operators before the Chief Minister. Their demands are just and genuine. Their livelihood is at stake. The government will have to stop outside taxi players from setting up shop and doing business in Goa”, Caitu told the media after the meeting.
The tourist taxi operators demanded that the government should not encourage any other tourist taxi fleet operators to operate within the state of Goa, further demanding that the government should take more interest in locals.
Meanwhile, though there was no untoward incident along Salcete’s coastal belt on the second day of the ongoing strike, Margao police arrested six taxi drivers on the allegation of attempt to stop tourist vehicles at Arlem-Margao.
Throwing his weight behind the agitation, Churchill Alemao justified the tourist taxi operators for taking to the streets in order to protect their livelihood, and has demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar for the police lathicharge on the agitating tourist taxi operators, saying he also suspected big time corruption involving someone from the government for bringing the Ola taxi operations in the state and dared the government to come out clean on the issue.
“I am shocked that the Goa Police headed by Chief Minister, Manohar Parrikar has lathi charged the tourist taxi operators who have been only demanding protection of their livelihood threatened by outside taxi operators,” Churchilll told the media.
He said the Parrikar government had no guts to disperse Nigerians when they had blocked the Highway at Porvorim last year, while expressing shock that the same government has today used force against Goans demanding justice to earn a living.
The former PWD Minister said the tourist taxi operators are justified in taking to the streets when their very livelihood is being threatened by outside taxi operators. Churchill recalled that Assembly proceedings would show that it was he who had demanded in the early 90’s expansion of tourism in the state for the benefit of the Goans. “I had mooted tourism projects so that our Goans can run a shack and operate a taxi, besides getting a job in the hotels”, he said, while demanding that the government should protect the interests of the local Goan youth eking a living on tourist tax business.
He demanded to know how the government had sidelined the local tourist taxi operators for the Lusofonia Games by giving the contract to outside taxi operators. “It was the responsibility of the Goa government to ensure that taxi business had gone to the local Goan operators”.
Margao Sub Divisional Police officer, DySP Mohan Naik said that the situation is well under control in the district, baring the incident at Arlem.
Tourist taxi owner from Varca, Jose Afonso told the media that the tourist taxi owners will continue their strike till their demands are met. He said the tourist taxi operators from Goa will not accept the Ola cabs in the state.
