This is not the first time that taxi operators are protesting against the fines at Dabolim airport in Goa. Earlier on several occasions’ taxi operators protested over the issue of parking and parking fees at the Goa’s lone airport. This has become the recurring problem. Why they are protesting and what are their demands? Read the complete report here.
[su_expand more_text=”READ MORE” less_text=” ” height=”0″ hide_less=”yes” link_style=”button” link_align=”center”] According to the news published by Heraldo daily, the tension prevailed at the Dabolim Airport over the challans issued to them by traffic police for parking their vehicles in the no parking zone. According to sources, the Yellow-and-Black-taxi operators came out on the road protesting the traffic police action.
It is learned that the for the past several months the Yellow-and-Black taxi operators has been demanding the proper parking facilities at the Dabolim Airport but government or airport authority did not look into their demands.
Finally looking at no results the taxi operators started parking their vehicles on the internal roads of the airport. According to the airport authorities, the internal road has a no parking zone and irresponsibly parked taxis started creating the obstacles to other vehicles which prompted the airport authority to take the necessary action against the taxi operators by issuing them challans.
As usual, the taxi operators refused to honor the challans and they stopped their operations and took their protest to the police station demanding the explanation for the issuance of challans to them by traffic police.
Read: Ruckus at Goa Airport over the issue of bouncers deployed by toll contractor
Police explained to them that since the taxis were parked in the no parking zone the action is but necessary. “The action has been taken only against the vehicles parked in the no parking zone without permission,” said police official adding that if the taxi operators have any grievances then they should contact the senior officials.
The peaceful discussion ran into the heated argument between taxi operators and police personnel. But with the proper mediation, the taxi operators decided to take up the issue with senior officials and the situation became normal.
The president of the United Taximen Union (UTU) told the media that they had been demanding the proper parking facilities from the authorities but it was not fulfilled and that they had no option but to park their taxis in the no parking zone.
“The police are harassing us all the time. Where will we go now? We have no place to park our vehicles at the airport. Even our request to provide a parking facility has remained unfulfilled. With no other option before us and after consulting the airport officials, we had started parking our vehicles parallel to the road so that we could get some relief. Traffic movement from the airport was not getting obstructed, but police have again started harassing us,” said Sudhakar Revankar, president of UTU.
Source: HERALDO
[/su_expand]
