Taxi operators’ strike near total, impacts tourists

Calangute/Pernem/Colva: Defying Essential Services Management Act (ESMA) imposed by the state government, more than 12,000 tourist taxi operators went on strike on Monday, affecting tourists in the state. The strike was peaceful, with operators holding a rally at a few locations in the state, including one from KTC bus stand to Azad Maidan. Meetings were also held at Panaji and Calangute.
To press their demands, agitating taxi operators on Monday evening decided to continue their stir for two more days - till Wednesday.
Their demands include a ban on rent-a-cab services, compulsory display of taxi fares at all hotels and prominent places, and immediate discontinuation of KTC shuttle service to and from the Dabolim airport, among others.
Taxi operators from North Goa and South Goa remained off the road.
State-run Kadamba Transport Corporation (KTC) buses were pressed into service at the airport due to which there was no problem. Chairman KTC Carlos Almeida personally supervised arrangements. Hotels also made arrangements. Goa tourism development corporation (GTDC) busses plied from the airport. Private rent-a-cab services were in operation, but many tourists opted for buses. Though many tourists were seen stranded at various places, the overall impact of the strike was minimal.
Along the Calangute-Candolim beach-belt the strike was total with no untoward incidents being reported. Because of the large police presence, taxi owners did not block any private vehicles transporting tourists, as done during past agitations, leading tourism industry stakeholders to release a collective sigh of relief.
With the charter season, which has been basically dismal this year, almost at a close, only some free of itinerary tourist's (FIT) wanting to reach the airport and railway stations were affected, but they too opted for the public transport, which ran full.
Senior members of the North Goa Tourist Taxi Owners Association (NGTTOA) along with a large number of taxi owners gathered in front of the Calangute church in the morning where they had a meeting.
They held a ‘solidarity' motorcycle rally through Calangute and Candolim and also held a meeting at the Bandodkar circle at Calangute beach.
Vivek Dwiwedi, a domestic tourist from Agra, and his companions had to trudge in the hot sun with their luggage from their hotel in Baga to a resort in Arpora, where they were shifting.
"We had to walk as there were no taxis and no buses going from our hotel to the resort in Arpora," he said, adding, "Nobody told us of the strike when we came on Sunday."
A group of Russian tourists, declining to reveal their identities, said that they were unaware of the taxi strike. They said they preferred to walk from their resort to the beach because of the high taxi fares for short distances. Their transport from the airport to the hotel and back and excursion trips are all by coach, they said.
In Morjim, taxi operators roped in the support of shack owners and said that henceforth they would fight any irregularity to either group together.
Early morning in Mapusa, a few taxi operators were seen ferrying passengers dropped off by the Mumbai buses at the interstate bus stop. A few pilots and rickshaws were seen plying, but only within the Mapusa town. When a customer asked to be taken to the costal belt or Thivim, they were refused.
Major hardships was faced by passengers who alighted at the Thivim Konkan railway station, as there were no rickshaws or black and yellow taxis. They had to walk to the Mapusa bus stop.
Sources said that normally the yellow and black taxi operators and tourist taxi operators do not support each other, but this time there was not a single black and yellow taxi on the road.
Speaking to TOI, a family of domestic tourists from North India said that authorities should come down heavily on tourist taxi operators for charging exorbitant rates, as it is ruining Goa's image as well as severely impacting the tourism industry, the main revenue earner for the state.
"We are being quoted an amount of Rs 2,500 whereas the actual amount fixed by the tourism department is Rs 1,800 for a trip to Dabolim airport from Colva. We cannot even hire a prepaid taxi to drop us to the airport from our resort as these taxis are not permitted to enter the area by taxi unions situated near starred resorts. They are fleecing tourists," stated the elderly tourist, who was waiting in Margao city for his friend who was going to take him to his destination.
Not many tourists arriving at the Margao Konkan railway station were inconvenienced as the prepaid counter for yellow and black auto-rickshaws and taxis was functioning.