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Goa’s all-women tourist cab service hits roadblock

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Panaji: India’s first all-women tourism taxi service, flagged off three months ago in Goa, has hit a roadblock.

A Church-operated NGO Centre for Responsible Tourism (CRT) Thursday said that contrary to public knowledge, a private company was running the cab service and that the women drivers were being allegedly forced to drive at night with male passengers without any security.

CRT blamed the Goa Tourism Development Corp (GTDC) for the “scam and sham”.

According to Fr. Maverick Fernandes, who heads Caritas (under which CRT functions), the social and charitable wing of the influential Roman Catholic Church in Goa, the 10 women taxi drivers roped in to drive the radio-taxi fleet were not even trained in basic martial arts.

GTDC launched the cab service in October last year.

“The GTDC has been lying all along. About martial arts, about the taxi service being run by the corporation, about salaries and their rules about ferrying women clients,” Fernandes told a press conference.

“Instead of making them entrepreneurs as they had claimed, they have opened doors for private taxi operators and made the women employees,” he said.

Goa is one of the leading beach tourism destinations in India and attracts nearly three million tourists annually.

But the lack of public transport, coupled with the need to ensure safer travel for women, led the GTDC to start the all-women taxi service.

The media kit provided to journalists at the time suggested that the taxi service was started by tourism authorities.

“Even the women drivers were given the impression that they were being hired by GTDC before the service was outsourced to a private cab operator, which has rendered these women vulnerable in more ways than one,” Fernandes said.

Said Rita Vaz, one of the women drivers: “We do not feel safe on the roads at night. The emergency buttons provided in the car do not work and the GPS tracking service stops after 7 p.m.

“Earlier, the rules said we had to carry male clients if there was a woman along with them. Now the company wants us to ferry all-male passenger groups even at night,” Vaz said.

Vaz and her colleagues have now decided to stop driving the radio-cabs until their demands for regulated salary, enhanced security and insurance cover were met.

GTDC officials said an official response to the allegations would be made later Thursday.

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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma

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World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.

Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.

During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.

On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”

Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.

It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.

Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.

Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”

On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”

The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.

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