Meghalaya taxi body’s plan to ban outside cars worries Assam drivers

Guwahati: Thousands of tourist taxi drivers from Assam who transport tourists to Meghalaya fear losing their livelihoods after the All Khasi Meghalaya Tourist Taxi Association (AKMTTA) requested the Meghalaya govt to ban vehicles from other states from ferrying tourists to Meghalaya’s tourist spots.AKMTTA on Wednesday met Meghalaya tourism minister Paul Lyngdoh and demanded to issue an order banning vehicles of other states to the tourist spots. The association argued that such a ban would protect the income of local taxi drivers in Meghalaya. They proposed that outside vehicles could bring tourists only up to Shillong, where local drivers would take over, promoting the local economy.Ricaldinus Dohling, president of AKMTTA, on Saturday told TOI, “We are not stopping outside vehicles from bringing tourists to the state, but they have to stop at the hotels for the larger benefit of the local drivers, that is our only demand. It is the right and duty of the local tourist vehicles to take the tourists to the tourist spots, which will also help boost the local economy. With the present situation prevailing, 4,014 Meghalaya vehicles are daily losing out on their business, which is unacceptable. The minister has invited us on July 24 to further discuss the matter.”In response, Guwahati tourist taxi drivers voiced their fears of significant financial losses and questioned the safety of tourists under the proposed ban.Nitul Das, executive president of the All Guwahati Tourist Taxi Drivers Union, said each driver would lose over Rs 2 lakh annually if the ban were implemented. “Over 3,500 taxi drivers of Guwahati are earning their livelihood by ferrying passengers to Meghalaya. If we will not be allowed to ply further from Shillong that will be unjustly done to us by the govt as all the drivers have obtained tourist permits to move anywhere in Meghalaya,” he said.The drivers said their annual permit costs of Rs 1,500 and warned that if the ban were imposed, they would stop ferrying passengers to Meghalaya, which could severely impact the state’s tourism sector.Robin Kumar Dutta, president of the Greater Guwahati Tourist Taxi Association, also raised concerns about compromising tourist safety. “Tourists hire us on packages with the responsibility of picking them up from Guwahati, taking them to tourist destinations to again dropping them back safely. In that light how can we hand them over to others after reaching a point compromising their safety?” Dutta said.