Rupesh Samant

Panaji, Aug 30: In a major relief to app-based cab aggregator ‘Goa Miles’, State Lokayukta on Wednesday declined to hear the complaint against them filed by a social activist.

Social activist Sudip Tamankar had filed complaint before Lokayukta challenging the entire process which was undertaken while licencing ‘Goa Miles’ as an app-based cab company. The company is affiliated to state-run Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC).

Tamankar had said that there were several flaws in licencing the company to run their service in Goa.

In an order on Wednesday, the Lokayukta said that it has no power to hear the complaint filed by Tamankar and instead he should move to the High Court.

Tamankar, who is also heading All Goa Bus Owners’ Association, said that he would now be moving to the High Court after he failed to get hearing at Lokaykta.

In his 127-page complaint filed before the Lokayukta, Tamhankar had stated that the government framed guidelines on March 13, 2018 and obtained approval for the app aggregators on June 7, 2019 much after the app was implemented in August 2018.

Earlier this month, the tourist taxi operators had resorted to seven day long strike demanding that ‘Goa Miles’ be scrapped. State Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had refused to scrap the app-based cab company, while asking the tourist taxi operators to have their own app.