TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: Agitated tourist taxi operators under the banner of South Goa Tourist Taxi Owners’ Association have resolved to continue their ongoing strike till the government fulfils all their pending demands, which includes scrapping of the Ola taxi service.
Claiming a huge success in the day-long strike resorted to by the tourist taxi operators on Monday, the tourist taxi operators assembled at the Dando grounds, Benaulim, later in the evening and vowed to continue their strike till their demands are resolved to their satisfaction.
They pointed out that successive governments have failed to address their long-pending demands despite knocking their doors over the years.
Association president Seby Fernandes said that the government should not only scrap the Ola taxi service, but crack a whip against illegal Russian reps operating in the state. “Local Goans have been eking a livelihood on the tourist taxi business and it is the bounden duty of the government to protect our interests”, Seby said.
Association general secretary Uday Malwankar told the taxi operators that the ongoing strike would continue till the government promises to resolve all pending demands in writing. “We want something in writing from the government that the Ola taxi service will be scrapped”, he said.
The black and yellow taxis operating from the Margao railway station also joined the strike on Monday, taking hundreds of rail passengers, who alighted at the station, unawares.
Passengers, who had to travel to Panjim, were seen carrying their luggage to the main road, waiting for the bus service to come to their rescue.
General secretary of the Margao Black and Yellow Taxi Association Bhiku Murgaonkar said the Ola taxi service and entry of other players from across the border would spell doom for local taxi operators. “With on-line bookings, local taxi operators would be left high and dry. The government should immediately intervene and stop the new operators”, he demanded.
