Shillong/Nongpoh, Sep 18: The All Khasi Meghalaya Tourist Taxi Association (AKMTTA) called off their agitation today after a meeting with East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner RM Kurbah.
The association launched an agitation on Tuesday to demand that vehicles from Assam should not be allowed to ferry passengers to tourist spots in Khasi-Jaintia Hills. The AKMTTA had resorted to distributing pamphlets to voice their stand on the issue after the state authorities stopped it from forcibly turning away Assam-registered vehicles. .
The meeting today was also attended by East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police (SP) Vivek Syiem, SP (City) Herbert Lyngdoh, members of the AKMTTA and other stakeholders.
AKMTTA spokesperson Balajied Jyrwa informed that the association will sit with the Home, Transport and Tourism Departments on Tuesday to discuss the issues. Jyrwa said that it was positive that the talks will involve several different departments as before they had only discussed the issue with the Tourism Department.
Meanwhile, in Byrnihat, which lies on the border between Assam and Meghalaya along National Highway 6, Assam taxi drivers blocked tourist vehicles as well as private cars from entering Assam, even holding up a vehicle transporting Rakkam A Sangma MLA. Officials from Ri-Bhoi, including magistrates and police personnel, rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control and to hold discussions with the leaders of the taxi drivers.
The Assam taxi drivers expressed that the issue did not originate with them but with the Meghalaya drivers. Following the intervention by authorities in Assam and Meghalaya, the Motor Parivan Sewakarmi Sanmilita Mancha withdrew its protest following the assurance given to solve this matter within the period of two days by the Meghalaya and Assam governments.
On the counter measures taken by tourist taxi operators in Assam, the AKMTTA’s Jyrwa attributed it to mischief-making.
“This agitation was a peaceful protest on the part of Meghalaya but, due to some misinformation spread by miscreants, this has turned into a huge problem for people travelling,” he said, claiming that no passengers were ever harassed in Meghalaya by the AKMTTA.
