Tarun Karthick
Campbell Bay, 08 May 2024
The Chairman of the ANTCC Campaign Committee, Mr. TSG Bhasker, penned a letter addressed to the Chief Secretary of the Andaman and Nicobar Administration on Wednesday, articulating the challenges faced by cab and taxi drivers following the introduction of a bus service at Veer Savarkar International Airport.
In the letter, Mr. Bhasker highlighted the potential repercussions of introducing a bus service on the livelihoods of cab operators and tour operators. He underscored that many of these operators had invested in vehicles through bank loans and that a decrease in the number of tourists availing their services would make it difficult for them to meet their loan repayments.
“Tourists visiting the Andaman & Nicobar Islands already bear significant expenses in terms of flight fares and are financially capable of affording taxi or cab services,” Mr. Bhasker stated, emphasizing the financial strain the new bus service could place on local operators.
Furthermore, Mr. Bhasker emphasized the critical role of the tourism sector in generating employment, particularly in the private sector. He pointed out that with limited opportunities in government jobs, the cab and taxi service sector plays a crucial role in providing employment opportunities for unemployed youth.
“Given the shortage of government employment opportunities, the cab and taxi service sector serves as a vital source of employment for many youths,” Mr. Bhasker remarked, underscoring the significance of preserving jobs in the tourism industry.
Consequently, Mr. Bhasker urged the Chief Secretary to reconsider the decision to implement the bus service at Veer Savarkar International Airport. He emphasized that withdrawing the bus service would safeguard the livelihoods of numerous individuals, especially the youth, associated with the tourism sector, preventing them from incurring significant financial losses.
Bus service is a good initiative as it will benefit Islanders in getting cheap mode of transport and will reduce vehicular rush. It will also curb the monopoly of cab drivers aas they were charging too high a rate most of the time and were ignoring islanders over tourists. Moreover if someone has taken loan for purchasing vehicles its their choice and not islanders fault. If Administration does something good then their efforts needs to be appreciated not just to support business communities like cab operators. Everyone can’t afford a cab service but bus service is affordable by all and is a very safe mode of transport.