UMLING, Dec 29: More than 800 tourists are entering Meghalaya daily and about 150 people have been sent back since the entry gate at Umling in Ri-Bhoi was made operational.
The number of tourists, although fluctuating, has been increasing with every passing day, said tourist officer LR Kharpomtiah posted at the Umling entry gate.
He said the inflow of tourists has been good in the past few days with 4,500 having been registered in a single week.
“A lot of tourists come with all the documentation and stay for two days and we give them the car pass, but we are not yet letting in those who come for a day and plan to return from Umiam,” he said, adding that the protocols require tourists to stay for at least two days.
Most of the day visitors such as from Guwahati were sent back initially when very few people were aware about the process, officials said.
Kharpomtiah said the entry gate has a dedicated counter for locals or permanent residents of the state. Valid government documents such as EPIC card, Aadhaar card, bank passbook or ration card used as residential proof are checked at this counter.
Those visiting Meghalaya for business need to show an office ID and a declaration of the purpose of their visit and their destination. Armed forces personnel are allowed to pass after an ID check as they do their COVID-19 testing at their own facilities.
Students coming for exams have to show their admit cards, Kharpomtiah said.
An infiltration official said that since the entry gate started functioning, six foreigners have used the state as transit to go to Bangladesh for academic purposes.
“The infiltration check gate at Byrnihat takes care of the labourers and once they reach Umling after being cleared, their IDs and COVID-19 reports are checked. They are sent for a test, if required, before being let in,” the official said.
The Shillong Times spoke to a few people and their reaction was mixed.
“They did a proper checking. It is appreciated but we had to wait,” said Karismita Deka from Assam.
Another Assam-based tourist, Nivedita said: “The process of getting an entry pass was fast.”
Not everyone had a pleasant experience. “Running run from one counter to another for COVID-19 is frustrating. They asked for so many documents and we spent more than an hour and a half hour here,” said Gaurav Sharma from Rajasthan who arrived with his friends on a four-day trip.
J. Agarwal, a permanent resident of the state, found rushing for COVID-19 testing and producing her residential proof quite hectic.
“Earlier it was very convenient. They are charging for the test and I paid Rs 2,000 for me and my kids and that amount could have covered my to and fro movement to Guwahati,” she said.
She, however, said the process of checking ID was quite smooth.
A group of students hailing from Manipur and studying in Shillong said the entry gate was a good initiative for keeping track of people.
Joinam Ali, a tourist taxi driver said the time consumed at the gate depends on the number of tourists. Getting a clearance accordingly takes one to three hours.