To restrict the ability of Assam tourist taxis to ferry passengers on sightseeing trips within Meghalaya is out of the question, Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh said today.
The All Khasi Meghalaya Tourist Taxi Association had recently demanded that Assam tourist taxis be restricted to dropping off visitors to Shillong. The tourists would then be required to utilise locally-registered tourist taxis to visit places within the state. The idea was that local tourist taxi drivers would have a more secure income this way.
Meghalaya police had to yesterday reassure the public that there was no such restriction in place and today Lyngdoh made it clear that the idea is dead in the water.
Any such move would hurt Meghalaya tourist taxi drivers travelling to Assam, the minister said. He also pointed out that the tourist taxis bear national permits, which would make it difficult to restrict their movements.
Instead, Lyngdoh wants to find a solution to the problems faced by the taxi drivers.
Today he convened a meeting with the Additional Chief Secretary Shakeel Ahammed, Director of Tourism Cyril V Diengdoh and other government officials.
The discussion with the officials was on how the government can facilitate better livelihood opportunities for the tourist taxi drivers in the state. In the course of the meeting, a plethora of issues emerged.
Lyngdoh said that there are far too many associations representing small numbers of tourist taxi drivers, which means that they do not present their views, demands and problems with one voice. And only around 40 percent of drivers actually belong to an association, with the vast majority unaffiliated to any.
The demand for tourist taxis is also actually growing as tourism grows in Meghalaya but the number of taxis has remained stagnant.
Instead of imposing a ban or restriction on outside taxis, it would be better to regulate the system in a manner that the youths and those involved in the transport sector gain, he added.
In order to push the dialogue forward, the government has decided to convene a meeting with all these associations.
Lyngdoh informed that all of them will be invited to the meeting since they want to ensure that they provide the best possible service in catering to their interest and at the same time also ensure that any measures taken should not have negative repercussions.
“Because it is not only tourists from Assam who travel to Shillong and other tourist destinations but people from Meghalaya also travel to parts of Assam, so any system we devise has to be done in a manner that will not have a negative impact on the tourism industry,” Lyngdoh said.
Before meeting the drivers and other stakeholders, the minister has directed the Transport Department to provide statistics on the number of cars, buses and other modes of transport that are operational.
For those in favour of restricting Assam drivers to Shillong, the Sikkim model is often pointed to, where, similarly, only local taxis are allowed to ferry passengers to tourist sites within the state.
Lyngdoh said that Assam is Meghalaya’s entry point as it has a large airport and railway station.
“Are we in a position to also put at risk the services provided by Meghalaya vehicles plying to Assam? People from Meghalaya visit Assam either as tourists or on grounds of health and education, so all these decisions have ramifications. As a government we have to act responsibly,” he explained.
