Goa to move SC on speed governors

In a bid to appease Goa's striking tourist taxi drivers, the government will approach the Supreme Court to seek relief regarding fitting of speed governors on their vehicles.

"The government will file an intervention petition in the Supreme Court and seek relief for Goa's taxi drivers vis-a-vis speed governors. Goa is a small state and has narrow roads, so speeding is not possible in Goa," Deputy Speaker Michael Lobo told the media after meeting Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.

Parrikar was likely to grant an audience to the taxi drivers, on strike since Friday to protest against mandatory fitting of speed governors and alleged harassment by police and transport officials, he added.

The Supreme Court order on speed governors on tourist taxis came last year, following a petition by Delhi-based NGO Suraksha Foundation.

Earlier, Congress President Shantaram Naik met Parrikar and sought his intervention to end the strike that has caused inconvenience to both locals and tourists alike.

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

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