By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, July 6: Chaos and confusion reigned supreme on Saturday after 20 Rapido captains in Shillong found themselves in a predicament when the District Transport Office (DTO)’s enforcement wing initially hired them, only to later confiscate their two-wheelers and demand fines citing various laws.
The incident involved a group of mostly young college students who work as Rapido captains.
According to them, they were first hired to transport the passengers to Laitumukhrah from different locations. Upon reaching the location, they were asked to present documents allowing them to ply, and were then fined Rs 10,000 on the spot. Failure to pay resulted in their two-wheelers being detained at the Laitumkhrah Police Station.
One of the affected Rapido captains, Rupert Lyngdoh, recounted, “I enquired about this sudden move and they produced a letter from the DTO to the SP, which was then supposed to be passed on to the local police station.”
Lyngdoh argued that such actions should be made public beforehand, as most of them were unaware of the laws involved.
According to Lyngdoh, the group of Rapido captains, after much deliberation, managed to retrieve their vehicle keys from the DTO’s office.
Lyngdoh, who was a Rapido captain until recently, explained, “We have registered as Rapido captains and Rapido would have paid the tax to the government to ply in Meghalaya. If a permit is required, speak to Rapido about it. We are paying Rapido for every trip done, so now Rapido has to bear the taxes.”
He criticised the sudden crackdown, stating that imposing such a heavy fine on the spot without prior warnings or notifications only creates chaos and problems for the captains, who are simply trying to earn a living in these challengings.