Tourist Taxi Operators are a militant lot By Nisser Dias [email protected] SMS to 9422437029
Goa is said to be one of the most sought after tourism destination in the world, of course that was some years back but over the years now tourists looks for options other then Goa. The reason being successive governments in the state has not been able to give direction to the growth of this industry. On the surface the story about tourism is very hunky dory, but beneath the exterior is a complete different tale of lawlessness with sale and consumption of drugs, rapes and murders, to top it all tourist taxi operators fleecing tourists left right and centre. I would say that tourist taxi drivers in south Goa are a militant lot, who has contributed largely in destroying flow of tourists in the state.
As recently as couple of weeks back, in the village of Cavelossim which is a hub of five star hotels, it is alleged that the tourist taxi drivers grabbed the licensed gun from the waistband of the bus owner and threatened to shoot him and the police were mere spectators. The reason that I compare these tourist taxi drivers to militants is because they have created such a fear psychosis in the minds of their competitors that other stake holders have started to pack guns for their safety.
Getting into the details of the incident, this bus owner has contracted buses to a star hotel for commuting staff and is also a tour operator. Two weeks back one of the buses attached to the hotel and a tourist taxi was involved in a minor accident. Two hours later after the mishap, police who were supposed to be conducting the panchanama telephonically summon the bus owner at the scene of accident for a compromise. The moment he arrived there along with his brother-in-law, the bus owner (who himself was not driving the bus) is surrounded by the tourist taxi drivers demanding compensation, when he told them that he would go by the court verdict, they started assaulting him and his brother-in-law in the presence of the police. In the skirmish that followed a licensed gun that was being carried by the bus owner was allegedly grabbed by the taxi drivers. Just because the taxi driver did not know the safety lock was on it did not trigger, otherwise the decades’ old friction between tour operators and tourist taxi drivers would have claimed a life.
Some years back a gutsy tour operator deflated tyres of tourist taxis with his gun when the drivers blocked him from taking tourists on their tour. Coming back to the first instance of acts of militancy, what was the reason to demand the presence of the bus owner at the scene of accident, could not the police carry out their routine procedure of drawing the panchanama, attaching both the vehicles and filing a case before the appropriate authority. The only explanation that comes to my mind is that they were acting under the instruction not of their superior but under the dictat of a local politician, who was viewing the incident not in terms of justice but in terms of votebank. Subsequently, the same politician called up the owner demanding to withdraw the case or face the consequences.
This is not a stray incident as every season the tourist taxi operators try to grab the entire tourism pie irrespective of the cost the tourism industry has to pay for their hooliganism and overcharging the tourists for the availing their services. If the malady of North Goa is sale and consumption of drugs, the woes of south Goa is tourist taxi operators.
Without any hesitation I can say that tourist taxi operators do not have any role to play in attracting or bringing tourists to Goa, but they are surely responsible for tourists not coming back to the state for a second time. Undoubtedly the tour operators who coax and convince tourists to visit Goa try to share the profits between the hotels and other stake holders in the industry and that is alright simply because it is business. At the same time they do not tie the tourists down to buying their packages only, but they do let the tourists chalk their own agenda during the vacation.
But in the case of tourist taxi operators their demand is different, the moment tourists reach the hotel upon their arrival, tourist taxi operators fill it is their birthright for tourists to compulsorily use their vehicles for their travel during their entire vacation which is totally unfair not only to the tourists but to the entire industry. It does not stop just there, tourist taxi operators even block tourists from using hotel owned vehicles. The saga does not end here, friends and family members are also not allowed to pick tourists up living in hotels in their own private vehicles. Worse still if the tourists want to walk or cycle around the village and even use public transport to the towns and cities they are offended with tourist taxi operators calling them beggars. The tourist taxi operators truly hold tourism industry to ransom and if this is not militancy what is? Tourist right to use mode of transport of their choice should not be dictated or restricted.
I recollect, some years back tourist taxi operators gave a call for their kind to keep their vehicles off the road in protest against successive governments not responding to their demands. On the day of the protest, besides not plying their vehicles, south Goa tourist taxi operators went about closing down shops and establishment in the coastal areas and even stopping tourist taxis from the north and cabs ferrying tourists to and fro from the airport and north Goa thereby inconveniencing tourists. One incident that stood out of the rest was former sarpanch of Colva who also happened to owner of a tourist taxi was traveling with his foreigner wife. In Benaulim he was stopped and threatened with dire consequences if he tried to proceed with a tourist. At this point the sarpanch got off his vehicle and in retaliation told his own colleagues that he will not support their cause for the simple reason they had not only inconvenienced him but also his wife.
Now let’s come to the aspect of the functioning of the tourist taxi operators which can be aptly termed as mafia capsule of operation. Let’s take the example of tourists wanting to tour north Goa at the same time do some shopping. Firstly meter system is not acceptable to the tourist taxi operators hence they charge whatever they feel like. Besides every shop, restaurant, establishments tourists enter, south Goa tourist taxi operators expect a commission either by cash or kind irrespective of the fact that the tourists buys goods or dines or not. If a certain establishment owner is not the kind of businessman to pay commission tourists are not allowed to stop at that showroom or restaurant irrespective of the wishes of the tourists.
Because of numerous complaints of fleecing government tried to introduce meter system, tourist taxi operators vehemently opposed this move of the government because their profits would drastically drop. Infact, two members of a Royal Family from the Emirates were staying in a star hotel in Cavelossim. They had to pay whooping Rs. 19,000 to travel to Panjim and back to watch a film, such is the height of fleecing that these tourist taxi operators adopt.
Secondly as per their tourist taxi permit they are not allowed to park their vehicles anywhere near the vicinity of the hotels and have to operate from home. With the exception of one operator, thousands of tourist taxi operators violate this clause and lay siege to the entrance of each and every star hotel in south Goa. They have gone to the extent of demanding that the hotels build premises for them at the entrances. Now the tourist taxi operators have upped their ante against the government’s latest move to phase out 800 cc vehicles. At the same time they cry that they cannot pay their installments. If the situation is so bad, how come thousands are in this business and even more waiting in queue. It is because there is lots of money in this business.
South Goa tourist taxi operators opposed government’s move to install meters on their vehicles, flaunt permit laws, fleece tourists, threaten other stake holders, when will the government try to curb their activities, will it be when there is a casuality? (ENDS)
===================================================== First published in Gomantak Times, Goa - Mar 18, 2010
