A hundred or so American visitors who had arrived on a cruise at Goa’s Mormugoa Port on Wednesday were forced to leave without taking a tour because taxi drivers forbade them from boarding the buses that were scheduled for sightseeing.
Initially, taxi union members barred buses from accessing Mormugoa Port’s cruise terminal. The taxi drivers stopped the passengers as they attempted to board the buses after they had already walked from the cruise for roughly a kilometre. A few more tourists attempted to board the bus, but the taxi drivers encircled it and the driver was threatened with breaking the bus if the passengers got on.
For not getting involved, the port authority and the local police have come under fire.
The chief minister Pramod Sawant, the director general of police, and Le Passage to India boss Francis Vaz have all received complaints. On Thursday, the tour operators met with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to inform him of a fight involving taxi drivers and a bus driver that had gotten out of hand and was now having an impact on tourist operations.
In order to get a chance to see Goa, tourists had to first walk outside the port’s gate because the taxi drivers wouldn’t let the buses in. They then had to walk back to the ship.
Pramod Sawant stated during the meeting, ‘It is completely inappropriate for the local taxi drivers to prevent visitors from using buses to see the sites at Mormugoa Port Terminal. We have given the cops precise instructions in this case. Anyone operating a taxi who strikes a bus driver will be detained.’
The Mormugoa police were tasked by the Chief Minister with conducting an investigation.
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