By Rudi Warjri
Meghalaya is in the national news unfortunately for melancholic reasons, owing to the disappearance of a newly married couple from Indore in the Sohra area. The Meghalaya Police is doing a good job in tracing the mortal remains etc. We all mourn this misfortune. Let’s pray that all this comes to a closure soon so that life can move on. Converting a crisis into an opportunity is also the best lesson. Let’s therefore look at the Tourism Policy of Meghalaya beginning with the safety of tourists .
Page 26, of the Meghalaya Tourism Policy 2023 is on Tourist Safety and Security. The operative extracts are A) “detailed guidelines both in terms of safety and operations could be issued from time to time. Further, the entry of tourists to difficult destinations could be prohibited without an accompanying guide/expert. B)“ a dedicated police team may be set up as a Tourist Police Force. C) “A safety audit of all the treks could be conducted and difficulty levels assigned. First aid kits and emergency evacuation support may also be made available at all the treks.” D) “All the tourist taxis may be enrolled with the Tourism Department. All such cabs should clearly display the driver’s details including name, photograph, and contact number. Additionally, emergency numbers are to be properly displayed in these cabs. The taxis may also be retrofitted to have a SOS button. E) “A dedicated helpline could be set up as a single point ….. to cater to tourists who are in any kind of distress” .
Page 31, has a section in big capital letters on PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK (PMF) . It’s well tabulated on practically every tourism related information except theirs is NIL data and way down the list is about Tourist Safety. Most urgent is what is the status on the Tourism police ? Have all the tourist taxis been enrolled with the Tourism Depatment and the identity of drivers /chauffeurs properly displayed? The driver can also be trained as a guide at least on the sights along the route like done in most non- English speaking countries where there would be a tag on the taxi that says. “English speaking” or in Meghalaya’s case even “Hindi speaking.” It can enhance the monetary value of the taxi. And a guide or taxi driver should also advise tourists not to throw water bottles. chips packets etc., as a second habit. Then the much needed Helpline which can help assist tourists in case of a transport breakdown apart from many other distress calls .
Commendably, the Policy has laid down the Core Guiding Principles and Thrust Areas. On Sustainable & Responsible Tourism where does the Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA or Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) or the Sustainable Tourism Criteria for India (STCI) stand now? This is also linked to eco-tourism which is lagging behind. On waste management we have an ironic situation. On the one hand there is the acclaimed Mawlynnong known as the “ cleanest village in Asia,” whereas just along the way and the surroundings there is litter everywhere. On conservation of heritage and natural assets portions of the walking path along the David Scott trail are disappearing because of the stone and sand mining especially towards the Sohra route. On employment generation and entrepreneurship data is required as per the PMF.
Community Participation as stated in the policy is very desirable and should be at the root of most projects and activities. The work of certain community organizations especially during situations of tragedies like the disappearance of the couple in Sohra area cannot be understated. The main problem however is the territorial jurisdiction of communities or Shnongs or Village Councils. Conflicts take place especially where there is commerce and revenue generating potential like is currently happening in the Dainthlen waterfalls area. And neither the Government nor the District Council want to step into this tricky situations for fear of political fall-outs. Hence innovative ideas like revenue sharing will remain on paper only. The use of technology is an imperative in this day and age. It would help to know the data on the effectiveness of the ‘Meghalaya Tourism’ App with regards to planning the trip, booking hotels, taxis, and guides, a feedback portal for the visitors to record their experiences, grievances, and suggestions.
Synergy with other departments and schemes/programs is very poor. The centre has just announced a four- lane Shillong- Silchar expressway. Let’s pray thi happens. A month ago on this road , I was agonizingly stuck at Lumshnong for one hour and the worst was at Umkiang Ratacherra part for four hours. I feel ashamed in this day and age that Meghalaya should have such poor roads compared to the interiors of undeveloped Africa which were in much better conditions when I traveled in that country in the early 1980s. I wonder where all the revenue generated from the cement, coal, boulders etc., go ? The policy also talked about a, “comprehensive long-term plan where a channel of formal communication may also be established with the Public Works Department (PWD).” Has this happened yet? The less said the better about PWD road conditions in the interiors.
As stated in the Policy, “ the centrality of youth to the Meghalaya Tourism Policy 2023” should be fundamental. At the end of the day if there’s no future for the youth all policies are meaningless .
It’s correct to say that “Quality Accommodation facilities are critical to the growth of tourism.” Tourism however cannot develop in isolation. It is connected to development in other areas as well . People travel not necessarily only for sight-seeing. They travel for business , conferences , seminars , events , health and wellness , etc. And that comes along with corporate presence . It’s good to have five star hotels like Vivanta and Courtyard by Marriot but what is the occupancy rate? Most of the occupancy is for government related activities and events which is paid for by the taxpayers through the government.
In the service sector the concert economy has begun to pick up in Meghalaya especially during the Cherry Blossom festival . It has to spread to other towns of Meghalaya and more corporate involvement and sponsorship can take place. The announcement about the draft Film Tourism Policy is a welcome idea but the natural landscape is not enough to be successful in attracting film shooting. Other infrastructure also has to develop together beginning with uninterrupted power supply .
What about land banks? The policy says “ Given the pattern of land ownership in the State wherein a large portion of the land is either owned by or is under the control of communities and private individuals, it is extremely challenging for the government to take up large infrastructure projects or to attract investments from the private sector.” This is very true. The Government of Meghalaya should begin with a cadastral survey under the SVAMITVA scheme of the Government of India that aims to provide legal documentation of property ownership using drone and GIS technology and can serve as legal proof and as collateral for loans and other purposes. Mizoram has already done it .
Tourist information centers and signages at key entry points towards Shillong, Tura , Jowai , Williamnagar , Sohra are imperative. The signages should have a big bold letter ‘ I’ which means “Information.” Staff should be armed with all information relating to accommodation facilities, food availability , road condition , safety of terrain , waterfalls , advisories , etc that tourists can approach on the spot . This is done even in South Asian countries and much before in Europe and the US where any tourist can just drive and find accommodation wherever the night falls .
I would be happy to see the PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK being filled up with exhaustive data .
(The write is former diplomat)