Tourist vehicles from Assam have allegedly been facing harassment from local operators in Garo Hills, leading to inconvenience for commuters and a rise in tensions.
The Garo Hills Sumo, Winger and Cab Association had recently filed a complaint with the state authorities claiming that vehicles from outside Meghalaya were ignoring local rules and affecting the livelihoods of local tourist and commercial drivers.
It alleged that outside vehicles avoid official ticket counters, park in unauthorised locations, clash with local schedules and fail to pay the Meghalaya Passengers and Goods Tax. The association also said that plain belt area autorickshaws were ferrying passengers between districts without permits. Another grievance is that Meghalaya Rural Transport Service (MRPTS) vehicles, meant for underserved rural areas, were running on commercial routes served by private operators.
To address these problems, the association demanded that all inter-district vehicles be stationed at Chandmary to reduce congestion in Tura.
Members of the association have reportedly taken the implementation of this into their own hands. A video showing one such vehicle being stopped near Tura went viral yesterday.
However, the Meghalaya authorities have so far not found anything amiss, at least not on the part of the vehicles from outside Meghalaya.
An inspection by the District Transport Office (DTO) of West Garo Hills found that Assam-registered commercial vehicles at Chasingre locality were fully compliant with the regulations. According to the District Transport Officer SD Shira, the vehicles held valid documents under an interstate agreement permitting movement between Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh.
“No one has the authority to stop a vehicle with proper documents,” Shira said, adding that legal action would be taken against individuals or groups who obstruct such services.
But he also sought to reassure the local drivers’ association that action would also be taken if any vehicle is found without documentation or in violation of transport rules.
