Our Bureau
SHILLONG/GUWAHATI/NONGPOH, Sep 18: Following the hours-long mayhem at Jorabat affecting thousands of travellers and tourists, the All Khasi Meghalaya Tourist Taxi Association (AKMTTA) and the
Motor Parivahan Sewakarmi Sanmilita Mancha (MPSSM), Assam, temporarily suspended their agitation, threatening to resume their stir if their issues and concerns were not addressed.
The AKMTTA announced that it has temporarily suspended its agitation following a meeting with East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner, Rosetta Mary Kurbah.
The talks were convened after members of the Motor Parivahan Sewakarmi Sanmilita Mancha (MPSSM) on Thursday morning stopped Meghalaya tourist taxi drivers from dropping passengers at airports, railway stations, and other destinations in Assam, forcing them to turn back.
The move was seen as retaliation against AKMTTA’s indefinite strike which sought to restrict Assam-based tourist taxis from ferrying passengers to tourist spots in Khasi and Jaintia Hills.
During its indefinite strike from September 16, AKMTTA had been allegedly distributing leaflets to Assam-based vehicles, urging them not to operate in Meghalaya’s tourist destinations.
During Thursday’s meeting, AKMTTA raised issues related to the welfare and support of local tourist taxi operators. Speaking to reporters after the discussions, AKMTTA spokesperson Balajied Jyrwa said the association had decided to suspend its agitation for the time being.
He said the state government has assured them of another round of talks involving the Transport and Tourism departments as well as the Chief Minister’s Office on September 23. The future course of action, he added, will depend on the outcome of those deliberations.
Jyrwa also clarified that AKMTTA members had not turned back Assam vehicles during the protest, attributing the incident to a misunderstanding.
He said rumours had fuelled tension at Jorabat and Khanapara by wrongly claiming that Assam vehicles were being detained.
At the same time, the Motor Parivahan Sewakarmi Sanmilita Mancha (MPSSM), an association of motor transport owners, tour operators, tourist cab owners and operators, bus owners and drivers, truck and oil tanker drivers and owners of Assam, temporarily withdrew its decision to ban Meghalaya-registered vehicles after assurances by authorities to address the demands of the Mancha.
Speaking to The Shillong Times at Jorabat on Thursday afternoon, Anirban Goswami, secretary of MPSSM, said, “The forum has decided to withdraw the protest till Sunday, following chief secretary and magistrate level deliberations between the two states and assurances to address our demands.”
The demands of MPSSM, comprising about 30,000 members, include a permanent solution to the issue, including withdrawal of all restrictions on Assam-registered authorised tourist taxis and commercial vehicles in Meghalaya; assurance of safety and security of tourist taxi operators from Assam and blacklisting of the AKMTTA by the Meghalaya government for intercepting vehicles from Assam carrying tourists bound for various destinations in Khasi Hills.
“However, if our demands are not met by Monday, we will be compelled to resume our second phase of agitation from Monday,” Goswami warned.
The Assam association said the Meghalaya government collects an annual tax of Rs 48,000 per vehicle. “So, when the Meghalaya government earns revenue to the tune of crores as against tourist permits to the Assam-registered vehicles not to mention the tax collected at the tourist sites, we see no reason why our vehicles should be prevented from taking tourists to the sites in Meghalaya,” said Nabajit Sarma, an office-bearer of the Mancha.
Members of the association further said that they will not send any tourist vehicles to any part of Meghalaya owing to security risks involved, as the situation has escalated.
“We condemn their unjustified and selfish demand, as these Assam-registered tourist vehicles hold valid permits, including three-state tourist permits for Assam, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh. Some even possess all-India tourist permits and contribute huge revenue to Meghalaya,” the association had earlier said in a statement.
It said such disruptions could lead to a sharp decline in tourist numbers, which would severely impact the livelihood of local businesses, including street vendors, hotels, restaurants, the automobile industry, petrol pumps, toll gates, sightseeing points and parking leaseholders.
The issue of entry of Assam tourist vehicles in Meghalaya has been a long-pending issue as Meghalaya taxi drivers allege loss of employment owing to tourists preferring Assam vehicles to come to Meghalaya from Guwahati airport.
The AKMTTA has demanded a Sikkim-like model for Meghalaya where only Meghalaya tourist vehicles will be allowed to be operated in Meghalaya to protect the interests of local taxi drivers.
