Tourist taxis remained off the road in Goa for the second day today as the state government refused to accept their main demand of exempting them from installing speed governors in their vehicles.

With the BJP-led government taking a firm stand, the agitating taxi operators said they will continue with their strike tomorrow also.

The strike has left tourists stranded at various transit points in the state, where peak tourist season is on.

However, the traditional yellow and black cab operators, who joined the stir yesterday, withdrew from the strike declared illegal by the state government.

“We have decided to continue with the strike even tomorrow as the state government has failed to listen to our demands. No taxi will operate in the state,” Vinayak Nanoskar, General Secretary, the North Goa Tourist Taxi Association, told reporters this evening.

Hundreds of taxi operators camped at the historic Azad Maidan here, where various political leaders visited them.

“A batch of ten taxis was sent from the airport with passengers to ensure they are not attacked on the way by the agitators.

“We can’t keep the passengers stranded at the airport,” a senior member of the Yellow and Black Taxi Operators’ Association told PTI.

“Not a single taxi is operating in the state. We have been protesting peacefully,” Nanoskar said earlier in the day.

Due to the strike, around 18,000-odd taxis are off the road in the coastal state. The yellow and black taxis number around 350.

A number of passengers were stranded at various places, including the airport and railway stations.

To minimise the impact of the strike, state-run Kadamba Transport Corporation Ltd has deployed additional buses to ferry air and train passengers.

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