Shillong, Sep 8: The standoff between tourist taxi associations of Meghalaya and Assam has been partially resolved, with both sides agreeing to ensure smooth and hassle-free movement of tourist vehicles in both states.
A marathon meeting of 12 associations – seven from Assam and five from Meghalaya – was held here on Tuesday. The meeting was jointly chaired by Meghalaya’s Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar and Assam minister Atul Bora after initial talks led by the Transport Commissioners of the two states.
Dhar said all genuine issues raised by the taxi associations have been accepted and the discussions were held in a positive atmosphere.
He said Meghalaya associations had sought parking space at Guwahati Airport and toilet facilities, which the Assam government has agreed to provide. He added that police of both states have been directed to coordinate during checking to avoid any harassment to drivers and tourists.
“Both sides have committed to work together. If any minor issues remain, they will be sorted out in a few days,” Dhar said.
A sub-committee headed by the Transport Commissioners of both states will meet from time to time to resolve any future disputes.
Assam Minister Atul Bora said his Chief Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, had directed him to immediately intervene after the August 19 incident where Assam-registered vehicles were targetted in a violent riot in Shillong. That led to an unofficial blockade of Meghalaya-registered vehicles trying to enter Assam and a counter-blockdage by Meghalaya tourist taxi associations.
“We held a meeting in Guwahati on August 22 and adopted resolutions. After meeting the protesters, they withdrew the protest,” Bora said.
He said Tuesday’s meeting in Shillong was held at the request of Meghalaya associations and the situation has now returned to normal.
“The associations are happy and we are working on the August 23 resolutions. The situation is normal now,” he said.
However, in the second part of the meeting, the core demand of Meghalaya tourist taxi associations to bar outstation vehicles from ferrying tourists up to sightseeing spots remained unresolved.
Leaders of the Meghalaya associations said they will take a final decision on the matter only in their general meeting.
“On our core demand, we are not satisfied as no decision has been reached in today’s meeting. Our demand is that tourist taxis from outside the state should be stopped from going up to tourist spots so that the earnings of our people, which is our right, improves,” the leaders said.
They said the government had proposed that the associations help identify stoppage points for outstation vehicles, but they maintained that a decision in this regard will be taken only after discussion in the general meeting to be convened soon.
The leaders also informed that a meeting will be held on September 28 between the Tourism and Transport Departments along with homestay owners, hotels and tourist guides to discuss the issue in detail.
