Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Tensions escalated outside the Goa Assembly as taxi operators refused to leave the premises, insisting on immediate dialogue with the state government over the new app aggregator policy.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant clarified that taxi operators would be consulted before the policy is finalised.
“We are reworking the draft, and before it is published, around 20 taxi operators will be called to provide their inputs. There is no question of protesting outside the Assembly. They should trust the government and me,” the CM said.
However, DySP Karpe confirmed that while the CM has communicated he is currently busy and will schedule another date to meet the operators, the taxi drivers refused to leave, demanding immediate discussions.
Taxi operators, meanwhile, expressed disappointment, saying, “As per the CM’s statement, we were supposed to be considered while framing the policy, but we were not called. We were lied to after trusting the government. We only seek answers, not protest.”
Quepem Congress MLA Altone D’Costa weighed in, emphasising the need for dialogue and consensus. He stated that policy decisions should be made across the table without bypassing the taxi operators, whom he called “the brand ambassadors of the tourism industry.”
