PANAJI: Chief minister Pramod Sawant said on Tuesday that the state government would come up with a solution on the installation of digital meters for taxis by Ganesh Chaturthi next week.
Sawant said that as the issue is in high court, he has started talking to the advocate general and the transport department. “We will come out with a decision on the issue before Ganesh Chaturthi, by taking taxi operators into confidence,” Sawant said, adding that taxi operators are “our brothers”.
On Tuesday, taxi operators met Sawant in Chapora and urged him to provide relief in the installation of taxi meters.
The operators, who said they haven’t asked their kids to apply for government jobs but to get into the taxi business, stated that they would wait for Sawant’s assurance, and if it isn’t fulfilled, they will decide on a future course of action. “Sawant has assured that there will be relaxation in the fitmets of digital meters and renewal of permits by Ganesh Chaturthi,” Rohidas Naik, who led a delegation to the chief minister, said.
Transport minister Mauvin Godinho and ports minister Michael Lobo recently locked horns on the issue. Lobo wanted the government to give free digital meters, and Godinho said that the state is already providing free digital meters, and that Lobo should do his homework before commenting.
Taxi operators in Chapora, Vagator, and Anjuna have told Sawant that taxi operators in Goa should be exempted from digital meters or that low-cost meters should be made available in the open market.
