By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 29: The festive season has drawn a lot of tourists to Meghalaya but many of them feel that the tourist spots need to be better managed.
Parking fee is one of the issues facing tourists, especially those who come in their own vehicles.
The Umiam viewpoint is a prime location, thronged by tourists every day. One of the tourists said, “Although we don’t mind paying parking fees, we don’t even know if the boys collecting the money are genuine or not.”
Another tourist said some are as young as 10-12 years old and had neither any uniform nor identity card.
“They did not give us receipts when we asked for and we don’t know whether the parking fees are actually going to the authority or to their pocket,” the tourist said.
Claiming that a similar situation exists also in many parking lots in Shillong, some other tourists alleged that parking fee is charged as per the whims and fancies of the parking attendants.
They were of the opinion that tourism has become very expensive in Shillong. They complained that in one of the locations in the city, four people and two minors were together charged Rs 600 as entry fees.
“We don’t know if there is any regulation,” one of them said.
December is the peak tourist season in Meghalaya when tourists from across the country visit the state to celebrate Christmas and New Year. The government is hopeful that more tourists would visit the state.
