The Khun Hynñiewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) today demanded the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) issue a general notice barring all tourist cabbies from outside the state from ferrying passengers to tourist destinations within the council’s jurisdiction.
KHNAM met the KHADC Executive Member in charge of Trade, Gigur Myrthong, and said that the council’s Trading by Non-Tribal Regulation 1954 could be interpreted in a way that would restrict non-local tourist taxi drivers to dropping off tourists at a central location in Shillong from where they would have to use local tourist taxis to visit various attractions.
This has been a demand of an association representing local taxi drivers but the state government has appeared less than interested in coming up with such a restriction, so KHNAM, a minor political party, has approached the KHADC.
At present, it is often the case that tourists who start their journeys to Meghalaya from Assam take Assam-based tourist taxis to visit Meghalaya’s sights, thereby hurting the prospects of local drivers.
Although the KHADC regulation states that no person other than a tribal resident of a district can carry out a wholesale or retail trade or business without a licence from the council, KHNAM working president Thomas Passah feels that this can be applied to taxi drivers from outside the state.
