The govt must take a firm decision and resolve the issue in Goa’s interest on priority
The long-pending taxi issue was once again discussed in the ongoing Budget Session of the Goa Assembly on Monday. There were sharp exchanges between the ruling and the opposition, with the latter pressing for the scrapping of the draft Goa Taxi Aggregator Guidelines.
The opposition said nearly 93% of taxi drivers had rejected the draft guidelines and questioned why the government had delayed withdrawing them. When they were formulated around eight months ago, the state saw considerable debate, with commuters finding its provisions to be advantageous. The industry was also in favour of the guidelines. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said that the draft guidelines would automatically stand cancelled once the state notifies its new Digital Taxi Policy.
Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho said that during a recent meeting of taxi operators’ associations with the CM, they had initially agreed to shift to a digital system. However, a few later opposed the idea of app-based platforms. He also said that a high-level committee with representatives from all 36 associations has been formed to submit their views and objections. Once the committee submits its report, the CM will convene another meeting with the taxi operators. Godinho said that only the state-supported aggregator GoaMiles and the proposed Goa Taxi App would be authorised platforms under the new system. He also said that the failure to shift taxi services to a digital platform is giving Goa a bad name among tourists and other visitors.
The taxi debate has been going on for a long time and the government, for some reason or the other, has been dilly-dallying in taking a firm stand. Earlier governments were accused of giving patronage to taxi unions. However, the BJP, which has been ruling the state for 14 years, cannot blame previous governments alone for not finding a solution to this imbroglio. During its phase of policy paralysis, it was the tourism industry that went to court nearly a decade ago to seek a direction to the government to install meters. The Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) approached the court at the time because the government refused to bring transparency and adherence to the government-approved fares. Lately, the government has been speaking of plans to boost “responsible tourism”. Who should be responsible for the taxi stand-off?
Three years ago, the government said it would enforce an app-based system for taxis and that it would not succumb to the “arm-twisting tactics” of taxi operators. Tourists sometimes find themselves at the receiving end of some taximen who charge exorbitant fares, especially at night, and, several times, TTAG has said that the absence of app-based aggregators or the enforcement of taxi meters has been giving a bad name to Goa as a tourist destination. No doubt, taxi unions also have their side. Their apprehensions and concerns, if valid, have to be taken into consideration and included in the Digital Taxi Policy. The government, on and off, holds talks with the unions and ultimately develops cold feet in taking a firm stand. Now, a committee has been formed at the Transport Department level to hold consultations with taxi union leaders. Why is the ruling dispensation, which has 33 MLAs on its side in a House of 40, shying away from taking a tough decision in the interest of the state and tourism?
Just last month, the central government launched Bharat Taxi, India’s first cooperative-based ride-hailing platform. Will the Goa government study Bharat Taxi before coming out with the Digital Taxi Policy?
