Goemkarponn Desk
MARGAO: Taxi drivers from all across Goa, along with Sarpanchas and panch members from Benaulim villages, staged a large-scale demonstration outside the Colva police station to demand action against a person who they believe is bringing false accusations against the taxi driver community.
The dispute started with a widely shared video that local taxi drivers were accused of engaging in unethical behaviour in by private cab aggregator service operator Parag Raikar. Hundreds of cab drivers gathered outside the Colva Police Station in a fit of rage, demanding that the police intervene to stop any possible disruptions to law and order.
Local leaders, such as Benaulim Sarpanch Xavier Pereira and Cavelossim Sarpanch Dixon Vaz, said that the police were treating complaints unfairly. They observed that although police were hesitant to handle complaints made by local drivers against employees of these aggregator firms, they swiftly register offenses against local taxi drivers when contacted by aggregators such as GoaMiles.
Protesters drew attention to the fact that the producer of the video, who owns his own private cab aggregator business, is not connected to GoaMiles.
Taxi drivers and Sarpanchas demanded police action, accusing the maker of the video of purposefully igniting conflict among the community. They explained that letters from surrounding hotels served as the foundation for their permits, and they questioned the legitimacy of taxis’ parking policies in relation to private aggregator services.
The organization adamantly defended its actions, saying they were dedicated to passenger safety and refuted any concerns about intoxicated driving. In response, they claimed that drivers of rent-a-cabs and aggregator cars were more commonly engaged in conflicts and accidents involving tourists. They begged for a just conclusion to the issue, expressing their annoyance at being called a “taxi mafia.”
The cab drivers insisted that the police file a formal complaint against the video’s maker, Parag Raikar, and the protest went on for a while despite the intense downpour. The cab drivers presented legal justifications for why a case need to be filed, even though the police first claimed they needed more time to investigate the situation. When the police did eventually decide to file a formal complaint in the evening, the demonstrators insisted that it be a non-bailable one.
North Goa taxi leaders backed Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas, saying he was legally right to defend the rights of local taxi drivers in Goa, and offered support to the protestors.
