GUWAHATI: Tourist taxi and cab driver associations here have decided to call off the indefinite strike from Wednesday in the wake of the situation in Shillong “returning to normal” coupled with an assurance by the East Khasi Hills district administration to ensure protection.
Three associations – Greater Guwahati Tourist Tata Sumo Drivers Welfare Association, Indica (Diesel) Tourist Taxi Drivers Association and the Greater Guwahati Tourist Taxi Association had called the strike from Monday demanding protection after “five vehicles” registered with them were attacked by miscreants in Mawlai and Umsning areas since Friday.
“We had a meeting this afternoon and decided to withdraw the strike and operate normally from tomorrow. We had also contacted members of the drivers’ association in Khasi Hills and they too confirmed that the situation in Shillong has improved,” Brajen Kumar Das, president of the Greater Guwahati Tourist Tata Sumo Drivers Welfare Association, told The Shillong Times on Tuesday evening.
Normally, at least 350 vehicles registered with the three city-based associations ply to the Meghalaya capital every day and the impact during the strike therefore was substantial even as most tourists decided to stay put in Guwahati and wait for normalcy to return.
“This is some respite for sure as our livelihoods hinge on the income generated from daily operations. We had called the strike only to ensure protection for our passengers and drivers,” Das said.
East Khasi Hills deputy commissioner PS Dkhar had informed The Shillong Times on Tuesday afternoon about normalcy returning in the Meghalaya capital even as there was no untoward incident reported during the night curfew on Monday.
“The most vulnerable area has been Mawlai, which has been taken care of. There has been no untoward incident reported since Monday. So taxi operators from Guwahati can resume services to Shillong as usual from Wednesday,” Dkhar said.
Nevertheless, the positive development has been bolstered by the decision of the state government to form a committee to resolve the issue of relocation of residents of Punjabi Lane after deliberations with relevant parties and groups on Monday.
Former home minister, RG Lyngdoh, while admitting the impact of the brief lull in tourism activities on an economy already crippled by a four-year coal mining ban, said, “The situation is almost normal and we hope it eases further. Once it does, we can expect tourism to flourish again.”
Tour operators too have heaved a sigh of relief with a five-day “setback” to peak season tourism making way for a greater flow of people to Meghalaya from Wednesday.
“This is peak season for tourists to Shillong, Sohra, Mawlynnong and Dawki. However, despite a few enquiries, we have had literally no bookings since June 1. So compared to the previous period, tourism has been affected. But we are delighted now that things have improved,” said a tour operator in the Silpukhuri area here.
Sources here say about 80 per cent of the tourism during June-July is concentrated in and around Shillong, besides Sohra, Dawki and Mawlynnong, Asia’s cleanest village.
The Meghalaya capital, for its part, has been the most sought-after weekend destination for travellers from Guwahati and other parts of the Northeast.
Over the past five days of “unrest” though, there were some empty rooms post cancellations in the hotels and guest houses of Shillong.
“At least three bookings made prior to May 31 have been cancelled. In the previous years, we would have had full occupancy during June which is not the case now,” said an employee of a guest house in Laban.
The situation at Pinewood Hotel has not been too different either.
“We have 40 rooms for guests here and some of them are yet to be occupied,” an employee of the hotel informed.
An established tour operator near the Meghalaya Secretariat said those who had checked in before the unrest have had to stay put in the hotels. “Some who had booked earlier have been told to stay in Guwahati till normalcy returns but no fresh bookings have taken place since,” he said.
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