Slam bid of outside taximen to harm business
Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas along with Varca Sarpanch Flavia Barretto, Warren Alemao and tourist taxi operators with SP, South Tikam Singh on the tourist taxi issue at Varca.
Photo Credits: Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
As the taxi turf war shows no signs of abating, Benaulim politicians and Panchayat members on Monday rallied behind Varca tourist taxi operators to express their solidarity against attempts made by outside taxi drivers from encroaching into their transport business and displacing them from their decades old taxi operations.
In a rare show of unison, the politicians, including Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas, challenger Warren Alemao, besides Varca Panchayat members led by Sarpanch Flavia Barretto set aside their political differences as they accompanied the Varca tourist taxi operators to South Goa Superintendent of police, Tikam Singh over the FIR registered against the taxi operators for alleged extortion.
The delegation drew attention of the district Police Chief to the FIR registered by the Colva police against the Varca tourist taxi operators without verifying the facts of the matter. In fact, the delegation pointed out to the SP, South that the outside taxi drivers was trying to extort around Rs 20,000 from one of the local tourist taxi drivers on that particular day.
After the meeting with the district police Chief, Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas told the media that the Goa police has taken suo moto cognizance of some video and registered a FIR against the local taxi operators without verifying the facts. “Our local tourist taxi operators have been transporting tourists safely to their destinations over the last 30 years,. There is no complaint of extortion against them. On the contrary, the local tourist taxi operator did not complain of extortion against an outside taxi man just to protect the image of Goan tourism”, he said.
Saying the local tourist taxi operators will never do anything that would tarnish the image of Goa since the taxi operators have been their source of livelihood over the decades, Venzy said the time has come for Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to intervene and solve the issue and protect tourism.
Supporting the tourist taxi stands outside the starred hotels along the Salcete coastal belt, the MLA said these taxi logistic modules need to be protected at all cost to protect the interests of the customers and taxi operators. He also urged the government to rein in the illegal taxi operators, operating sand offices, parking space under the guise of app-based taxis. “We will not succumb to the pressures of these illegal taxi operators. We stand solidly behind our local tourist taxi operators”, he asserted.
Warren Alemao said politicians from Benaulim along with panchayat members have all come together to stand in solidarity with the local tourist taxi operators. “This is a battle for the survival and livelihood of the local taxi operator. We will not allow these outside illegal taxi operators to have their way in Varca or other villages since their operations are detrimental to the livelihood of the locals and the safety of the tourists”, he added.
Warren pointed out that the media misinterpreted his statement on the role of hotels in supporting the outside taxis, saying he was not against the hotels which have been providing business to the local tourist taxis operators eking a living from the transportation business.
Varca Sarpanch Flavia Barretto said the Panchayat members are all supporting the Varca tourist taxi operators in their struggle against the illegal outside taxi operators.
