Panaji, June 12 (IANS): The Konkan Railway on Wednesday cancelled the tender proposed in this regard after it received strong opposition to the bike rental service proposed by the company, officials said.
Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) Deputy General Manager Baban Ghatge told IANS that the project has been dropped.
“The project received strong opposition from local residents, hence we cancelled the bidding for the bike rental service,” he said.
Goa Forward MP Vijay Sardesai had warned against the plan to foray into the tourism sector, which he said would take away business from locals.
“The powerful voice of Goans has won. From the moment I came to know of the blatant attempt by the Konkan Railway (KR) to infiltrate Goa's tourism sector and squeeze people out of their traditional professions, I vehemently opposed and opposed it,” Sardesai said on Wednesday after KR cancelled the plans.
He said today's move was a victory of regionalist aspirations and a warning that even tacit support for anti-Goa activities by so-called people's representatives will never be tolerated by the people.
“Let us continue to remain vigilant and work to take Goa forward,” Sardesai further said.
Sardesai said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's principle was that “government should not do business”, and therefore the Konkan Railway should focus on running trains on time and not venture into tourism.
“The Konkan Railway's responsibility is to provide transport to commuters and ensure that trains run on time. But it is trying to get into the bike and taxi rental and pod hotel businesses already run by locals in Goa,” he said.
