Goa has been in quite a bit of turmoil, one could even say boil, over the past few days. It wasn’t the weather, though the monsoons have been playing truant and the heat is raising temperatures as well as electricity bills due to the use of air conditioners in June.
Rare have been the days in the month of June when the whirr of the air conditioner lulls one to sleep in Goa, it's usually the pitter-patter of rain drops that does. Not this year, though.
But, it wasn’t the pause in the monsoon that led to the turmoil. First, there were the taxi drivers who objected to the introduction of app-based services.
And then, there were the doctors of the Goa Medical College who demanded an apology from the health minister for his outburst against a doctor that was recorded on camera, and went viral on social media, before the mainstream media picked it up across the country.
In the first instance, that of the taxi drivers, there was not much people’s support for them.
Rare have been the days in the month of June when the whirr of the air conditioner lulls one to sleep in Goa, it's usually the pitter-patter of rain drops that does.
For that matter, there hasn’t been any backing for their demands from the people, who would prefer to have a choice in transportation rather than depending on the monopoly of the existing taxi lobby. Who wouldn’t want a choice, especially when it comes with the possibility of a cheaper fare?
In the second instance, that of the doctors, a high percentage of people, cutting across age, economic segments, State boundaries and even political affiliations, felt that the doctors were justified in their demands.
The doctors’ protest was eventually called off, but not before the intervention of the chief minister, who met the striking medics and there was conclusion to the issue.
There are divergent views on whether it was the right conclusion, or whether the doctors capitulated a little too quickly, but that’s a topic for a different day.
What arises from these two instances is whether the government is aware and alive to the situations arising from their actions. Here are two contrasting episodes and two dissimilar reactions from the government.
In the case of the taxi operators, this is an ongoing issue, dating back several years, that seemingly defies a solution, with neither the government and taxi operators coming to an agreement, nor the government taking a firm grip and pushing forward its policies.
What arises from these two instances is whether the government is aware and alive to the situations arising from their actions. Here are two contrasting episodes and two dissimilar reactions from the government.
Instead, the taxi issue has been led to simmer for years, and the views of the people, who are the users of the service, have not been taken into consideration, or even sought. It is only the taxi drivers who are allowed to voice their opinion.
In the second instance, that of the doctors, the ministerial outburst drew eyeballs across the country. It definitely led to some, if not much, embarrassment to the government, leading to the chief minister hastily overruling the minister’s decision to suspend the doctor, and then heading to where the doctors were striking to calm down the situation.
In the issue of the doctors, there was some decisive action, even if the outcome was not entirely in favour of the doctors. Why can’t such action be seen in other issues, that of the taxi operators, for instance?
Is it that the chief minister acted so quickly in the doctors’ issue because it had snowballed into an avalanche of criticism for the government? The national media dove into the story, and perhaps, that’s what made the government act fast, given the negative publicity it was getting.
Is it that the chief minister acted so quickly in the doctors’ issue because it had snowballed into an avalanche of criticism for the government?
The taxi and doctors’ issues, though they cannot be compared in terms of impact, are merely examples of what is happening in the State. There are plenty of other issues that remain without conclusion.
If the government can act quickly on one, it can definitely do so with the others that cry for resolution. It is elected to find solutions to the people’s problems.
Even as this piece was being concluded, came the chief minister’s assertion that there would be a permanent solution to the taxi imbroglio. One waits in hope that this will happen before the next tourism season sets in.
There’s time, but one thing is certain, the government cannot look at the taxi issue from the perspective of merely the cab operators and tourists, but that of Goans as well, for they too have a stake, for they too are customers of the cabs.
