PANJIM: Five hundred and fifty taxi operators on Monday submitted individual letters to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant demanding the appointment of a retired Judge of High Court or District Court to probe GoaMiles app-based service as per Goa Lokayukta order.
In their letters, the taxi operators stated that the Goa Lokayukta on July 12, while issuing notices, had also given an opportunity to the government to appoint a retired Judge of High Court or District Court and to conduct an inquiry into the Goa Miles Taxi App service within two months.
The taxi operators said that for over a month the government has not appointed a retired Judge and that the Goa Miles App service had affected the livelihood of the taxi operators.
The Goa Lokayukta has now posted the matter for further hearing on Tuesday, August 24.
The taxi operators also reiterated their demand to introduce App service instead of making mandatory fitment of digital fare meters for taxis.
Accompanying taxi operators, All Goa Private Bus Owners Association General Secretary Sudip Tamhankar said that the “all-India tourist taxis are covered with three State permits and that there is no use of taxi fare meters while travelling in other States. Therefore the government should not make fitment of meters mandatory for tourist taxis.”
Tamhankar said that the Association has studied various Apps used by Ola, Uber, Megha and Meru taxi services in other States and that they are in a position to give the power-point presentation to the Transport Department.
Tamhankar alleged that the Transport Department had given the contract of fitting meters to only one company and that taxi operators are forced to purchase meters from the company at the cost decided by them.
Later, a delegation of taxi operators met the Chief Minister and submitted a memorandum to him. After the meeting, Tamhankar said that the Chief Minister has assured them that he would find solution to their issues before the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.
