National
Goa tourist taxi strike called off on third day (Lead)
Panaji, Jan 21 (IANS) Goa’s tourist taxi operators on Sunday withdrew their strike following a written assurance that pending fitness certificates would be issued to all tourist taxis by January 24 and the government would stop installation of speed governors on their vehicles.
The three-day strike, which caused immense hardship to tourists and locals, was called off soon after representatives of the taxi operators met Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, along with Deputy Speaker Michael Lobo, at the Chief Minister’s official residence here.
“We are only withdrawing the strike after a written assurance by Lobo, that he would resign from the BJP if the promise to provide fitness certificates to all taxi operators, without fitting of speed governors by January 24.
We still do not believe the Chief Minister, but we are giving the government an opportunity to right the wrong,” Laxman Korgaonkar, spokesperson for the North Goa Tourist Taxi Association, told reporters here.
The strike had started on Friday, in order to protest against mandatory fitting of speed governors and alleged harassment by police and transport officials, he added.
Lobo told reporters that as far as installation of speed governors is concerned, the state government would file an intervention petition in the Supreme Court, seeking relief for the taxi drivers in Goa, where speeding is not “possible” since it is a “small state and has narrow roads”.
The Supreme Court order on speed governors on tourist taxis came last year, following a petition by Delhi-based NGO Suraksha Foundation. The state Transport Department had refused to provide fitness certificates to taxis, without speed governors fitted to them.
Parrikar also told reporters that the state government was also of the opinion that fitting of speed governors to tourist taxis was not feasible and that the same would be presented before the apex court.
“We do not have an issue with presenting this view before the Supreme Court… We are not ourselves convinced that 80 km per hour speed limit will change anything on ground. It actually should be 100 km,” he said, adding that taxis were not majorly involved in accidents in the state.
He also said, that the state government would exercise a provision in the newly amended Motor Vehicles Act, to allow taxi drivers more time to fit speed governors to their vehicles.
Earlier, Congress President Shantaram Naik met Parrikar and sought his intervention to end the strike.
On Saturday, Transport Minister Sudin Dhavalikar had warned taxi drivers to call off their strike, failing which he said app-based taxi operators would be requested to start their services in the coastal state which attracts more than six million tourists every year.
–IANS
maya/vd
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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