SHILLONG, April 6: Travelling to the inter-state bus terminus (ISBT) at Mawiong from Shillong has more than doubled the expenditure for Tura and Siliguri-bound passengers.
The ISBT was established to make the state capital breathe easier. But the government’s failure in ensuring a hassle-free shuttle service to and from Mawiong has proved costly for the passengers.
Local cabbies are charging Rs 300-800 per trip to ferry passengers between Shillong and the ISBT, a visit to Mawiong revealed.
Passengers alighting from about 15 buses from different parts of the region said the taxi drivers insist on reserving the vehicle for at least Rs 600. The cheapest option is Rs 300 if one is lucky.
“It is deplorable that the government did not think of an affordable ferry service or make the transporters factor it in the bus fare. The least they could have done is make share taxi available,” a harried passenger told The Shillong Times.
He gave the example of Guwahati where transporters ferry passengers at a nominal rate to the ISBT on the outskirts of the city from the centrally-located Paltan Bazar, where all the bus counters are located. “Why can’t the same thing be done in Shillong?” he asked.
Some passengers complained that they are prevented from getting down outside the ISBT gate by a group of people lest they hail taxis from the roadside offering cheaper fares.
A bus driver confirmed this “high-handedness”, recounting how a group of tourists from West Bengal’s Cooch Behar were not allowed to board taxis from the roadside.
A government employee who travels to and from his hometown Tura once a week said the Shillong-ISBT taxi fare is higher than what he paid for taking a bus from Shillong to Tura. He said the matter has been taken up with an MLA from the Garo Hills, who has written to top Transport Department officials for lessening the financial burden on passengers.
A senior official of the Meghalaya Transport Corporation (MTC) said the shuttle service issue is being looked into by the police and the district administration besides the Transport Department. “It will be resolved soon,” he said.
KL Nongbri, the MTC official in charge of the ISBT said they will take a call on the shuttle service if the government decides to introduce it. “Our mandate is to operate the ISBT,” he added.