Govt-appointed committee to meet taxi association today
SHILLONG, Oct 17: Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh on Thursday said that while the state government has set up a committee to look into the grievances of tourist taxi drivers, various stakeholders believe transporters from other states cannot be stopped from entering Meghalaya.
“If you talk of a solution to the issues raised by the (tourist taxi) association, the government-constituted committee is meeting them tomorrow. Secondly, various stakeholders have been empathic in saying transporters from other states cannot be disallowed entry into Meghalaya,” he said.
“The government is not saying this. The stakeholders are,” he added, indicating the government would try to balance the demand of the tourist taxi operators with the views of other tourism stakeholders.
Lyngdoh underscored the need to improve the quality of services provided to tourists.
“Language, behaviour, dress code, and punctuality have to be the fundamentals in a particular trade or profession,” he said.
“As we speak, the committee headed by the director has been holding regular consultations with all stakeholders. I have already attended two conclaves and met various stakeholders in the tourism sector,” he said.
Stating that the expansion of the airport will be a game-changer, he said: “Once that happens, the dependence on road connectivity and transportation will be reduced and with the expansion of the activities of the department, we will be in a position to provide employment to not less than 3,000 youths in the transport sector.”
“Also, we will shortly engage tourist buddies around. We will begin with 50 youths who will be part of the process to guide, give information, and generally represent Meghalaya while dealing with visitors to the state. We will initially have these tourist buddies at Sohra, Umiam, and Shillong,” he added.
Lyngdoh admitted that damaged roads have been a major concern. “I have always said that without good roads, tourists will not like to visit some destinations. Even the locals will find it difficult to visit their villages,” he said.