SHILLONG, Feb 3: The East Khasi Hills Local Taxi Welfare Association (EKHLTWA) has urged the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) to exempt commercial vehicles from penalties incurred due to District Transport Officer (DTO) staff being engaged in election duties and hence unavailable at their desk.
In a letter addressed to East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner RM Kurbah, who also serves as the RTA chairman, EKHLTWA president Wandonbok Jyrwa highlighted public complaints regarding penalties faced by vehicle owners. He stated that on January 21, when vehicle owners visited the District Transport Office (DTO) in Shillong to pay for their vehicle documents, they found the payment counter closed. According to reports received by the association, this was due to many DTO staff being assigned to election training and duties.
Jyrwa pointed out that this situation led to undue hardship for vehicle owners, as they were required to pay penalties for late payments when they returned the next day — through no fault of their own. “We request you to kindly look into this matter to ensure that unnecessary penalties are not imposed on anyone in the future,” he wrote.
Illegal two-wheeler rentals
Additionally, the association called on the RTA chairman to take action against the illegal rental of two-wheelers. Jyrwa alleged that some two-wheeler owners, through private agencies, rent out their vehicles to tourists without proper legal documentation for travel in and outside Shillong.
He argued that this practice is unfair to local taxi operators, who must strictly comply with document renewal regulations.
“It is shameful that while local taxi operators must adhere to legal requirements, these two-wheelers operate commercially without valid documents, in violation of Section 66 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988,” he said.
A copy of the letter was also submitted to East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police, Vivek Syiem.