Frederick Noronha (FN) <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes > A number of foreign tourists, including two coordinators arranging > the visit of the Princess of Thailand, were caught in the ongoing > battle between the tourist taxi operators and tour operators > at Cavelossim (Goa) early Wednesday morning. (Goa Herald)
This was indeed true, because I was one of those tourists. Being accosted at 5.00am by 60-odd angry taxi drivers, some wielding cricket bats, is not at all pleasant. That they threatened to torch the bus, and prevented us from taking local (bus) transport to force us to take taxis is quite out of order. The police were, I felt, rather more impotent than they need have been. Clearly removing their taxi licenses would have been devastating. It was, however, very good of the police to take us to the station (one hour after the train should have left). Something that was suggested to them some two hours earlier. Fortunately my fellow tourists refused to be intimidated (and the train was late) and I hope none are in future. For those in the tourist business to threaten tourists says something. For taxis to intimidate tour operators so as to effectively ban tour busses on wednesday (anjuna market 1500/-) and saturday (clubbing?) suggests both stupidity and desperation. The packed tour busses that used to go to anjuna are now no more, with just a couple of tourists going each week by taxi from Cavelossim. Note that this "deal" excluded airport and railway transfers, and the drivers went back on their own agreement in the above case. I expect this happens all over india (does it?) but as soon as you arrive in Cavelossim you realise that there are far too many taxies and tourist shops (OK, I'm being generous here) for the available trade. This is particularly so when you realise that most in the all-inclusive beachfront international hotels will ever leave the grounds except in a highly sanitised tourcoach. To be fair most americans and scandinavians are so unused to germs that they really do tend to go down with serious food poisoning when they leave a sterile environment and even rather dirtier (and more resistant) brits and s.europeans tend to get an 8 hr stomach upset in the first few days whilst they get acclimatised to the local microflora. That leaves at most 100 tourists (say half the Haathi Mahal hotel + some smaller establishments) to fund the whole town. Mind you with modest food costing double the rates elsewhere, this is not that improbable. Unfortunately many of these tourists are somewhat more adventurous than most and prone to quickly finding out that an interesting bus journey to Margoa costs 9/-, instead of the 400/- +two enforced visits to shops (if you haggle) by less comfortable taxi. Not unsurprisingly I would think the taxi drivers cannot begin to make a living. If I was told that a gross income of 1500/- per month was about right, I wouldn't be at all surprised. I understand that a relatively unskilled rural labourer gets 30/- per day so by the time you deduct for petrol, insurance and repayments taxi drivers are likely to be in some financial difficulties. I note that a similar plethora (but not as extreme) happens for the 4WD shuttling people to Dudhsagar falls where a driver can expect two journeys a week. There must be 30++ of these vehicles to do the half hour drive. Doubtless anyone attempting to add their own service would meet with 'severe local opposition'. Is this sort of thing a reflection of what happens all over india? I would guess that six taxis would be ample for Cavelossim and probably 1/5 the number of 4WD at Dudhsagar. That is, the utilisation rate for vehicles is only running at about 20%, which is a grossly inefficient waste of resources. For the price of 20 taxis you could set up a good workshop making industrial or consumer products that could gainfully employ tens of people. Given the large overseas indian population, marketing should be a breeze. Instead this money is wasted in 30 taxis and 30 drivers sitting around day after day earning nothing and providing a crappy service to boot. Is it only the chinese or thais who can organise small effective local businesses? In passing I wonder slightly at the Hindu pantheon. I am agnostic, and can view different religions quite impartially. I can (and have) had fine religious experiences in christian, buddhist and hindu places of worship (although I find the fear and hate in muslim ones hard to relate to). I started to place my friends into categories of vishnu-like and shiva-like personalities and found it fitted really very well indeed EXCEPT I needed brahma-like as well. A successful business (for example) needs a vishnu-like person keeping it all running day to day, year after year, and these people do not like change and try and keep things running smoothly. You need a shiva-like person who is very productive but also prone to mucking things up and causing problems, but you also need the inventive person to think up new ways of doing things and new things to do who would be the brahma-like person (who soon gets bored in a vishnu-like or shiva-like role). I therefore find it odd that hindus think that brahma's work was all completed millennia ago and now he has no place in the world. Is this why innovation and creation of NEW things in india is so terribly low despite your having a smart population with many being very well educated too? Perhaps some new brahma temples should be built, temples to innovation and creation of new businesses and new ideas, to *balance* the rigid and unchanging vishnu systems seen all over india mixed with the overpopulation and self destructive urges from shiva. To leave england (legally) as a visitor takes minimal paperwork. To leave India took: immigration control (2 people) two stamps, check on immigration control (one person), final check on stamps (one person). Surely a more efficient system could be managed? One computer and a barcode-reader would suffice, for example. As an economic power india could be a world leader, but not when it takes 10 people to do what one does in the UK. Don't even *think* of getting me started on 30 people laying concrete on a two storey roof all by hand ...... To end I think India is a most fascinating place, and those I have met have all been friendly and intelligent (and frankly nice) people. Even those running tiny stalls in the streets of downtown hospet (Karnataka). -- Oz This post is worth absolutely nothing and is probably fallacious. Use [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] functions]. BTOPENWORLD address has ceased. DEMON address has ceased.
