MAPUSA: A sopo collector of Mapusa taxi stand, Mr Ratikant Korgaonkar has filed a police complaint against around 20 private vehicle operators who illegally park their vehicles at the taxi stand and refuse to pay the sopo.

In his complaint to the Mapusa police, copies of which have been forwarded to the chief officer of Mapusa municipality, deputy collector of Bardez and assistant director of Transport, Mr Korgaonkar has said that ever since he has started collecting sopo at the taxi stand two months back, the private Sumo vehicle operators, who park and also ply as taxi vehicles from the taxi stand refuse to pay the sopo and are also harbouring illegal activities such as gambling, drinking, etc in the night and creating a menace on the
taxi stand.

Mr Korgaonkar said that due to this, he was not only suffering a loss but even the operators of black and yellow taxis parked at the taxi stand were being terrorised. It may be recalled that there has been a continuous war at the Mapusa taxi stand between the black and yellow taxi operators and the private vehicles which ply as taxis.

Some months back even the operators of the black and yellow taxis had objected to the illegal parking of private Sumo vehicles who are eating into their business.