Team Herald
PANJIM: Stating that there is no significant impact on tourism sector due to the taxi strike, the industry bodies have said the government will have to work out solution to the long pending problems without bowing to the pressure tactics by the tourist taxi operators.
Thousands of taxi operators continued their strike on Saturday by keeping their vehicles off road demanding scrapping of GoaMiles app-based taxi service. The Government, however, is firm on its decision that taxi operators should either join GoaMiles or develop their own app.
“There is slight impact on tourism due to the agitation by tourist taxi owners. But it is bearable. Right now, there are no cancellations of hotel rooms or any significant impact on the tourism industry due to the strike,” Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) president Savio Messias said.
Messias said any agitation in the tourism sector is likely to affect the sector, and so also is the case with tourist taxi operators but now it is high time to look at finding out long term solution for this ongoing problem.
“Government will have to take firm stand without bowing down to the pressure tactics of the taxi operators,” he said.
When contacted, Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) president Manoj Caculo said that it is high time that the tourist taxi operators sync with state government plan.
“Our stand is very clear. A solution should be found to this problem. Government has offered all help to tourist taxi unions, if they want to develop their own app and run the operations. I think government is doing justice to the taxi operators,” he said.
Caculo said the tourist taxi operators could develop their own app for which the state government would provide all the required support. “Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant has announced in the Assembly that government will provide all the support to the taxi operators if they want to come up with the app,” he said.
Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) chairman Dayanand Sopte said the agitation by tourist taxi operators is harming taxi operators business only and that such protests are not going to solve the problem.
“Government has given them all options. If they don’t want to join GoaMiles then they can develop their own app. But app-based taxi service is what tourists today are looking for,” Sopte said.
Sopte said taxi operators have to move forward with technology.
