‘Meghalaya should have reciprocal transport agreement with Assam’
SHILLONG, Sep 24: The All Khasi Meghalaya Tourist Taxis Association (AKMTTA) on Tuesday submitted a four-point demand to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, asking the government to sign a reciprocal transport agreement (RTA) with Assam along with terms and conditions for a symmetric arrangement to protect the mutual interest of the transporters of both states.
In the letter submitted to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), AKMTTA president Ricaldison Dohling suggested that the agreement should be similar to the RTA signed between Sikkim and West Bengal governments to help enhance earning opportunities for local taxi drivers by introducing state carriage permits, special permits and private service vehicle permits.
In addition, the AKMTTA demanded the implementation of the Meghalaya Motor Vehicle and Taxation Rules, 24×7 information centres of the Tourism department at the Guwahati and Umroi airports and Guwahati railway station.
Further, AKMTTA also demanded setting up of tourism permit issuing check points at the entrance of all tourist sites in the state.
Mukul slams govt’s failure to resolve issue
Leader of Opposition Mukul Sangma on Tuesday slammed the state government for not handling the matter effectively and allowing it to get out of hand.
“You have to look at the genesis or the root cause. A stitch in time saves nine; that is the mantra. This issue should have been promptly handled and resolved,” Sangma said.
Advocating a give-and-take system to resolve the issue, Sangma said, “Stakeholders belonging to different states of the Northeast should be taken on board.”
“Let us understand the problem and then we can come up with a solution. I don’t think it is a problem which can be solved by just one particular section of stakeholders; it has to be exhaustive and comprehensive,” he added.