SHILLONG, Jan 2: Congress MLA Ampareen Lyngdoh has asked the state government if it had consulted all the stakeholders before taking a decision of not letting in tourists who visit Meghalaya just for a day.
According to a government notification, a tourist coming to the state for a day will no longer be allowed in as it would lead to difficulty in operations of the tourism screening centre at Umling.
“I am wondering whether all the stakeholders were taken into confidence before such a huge decision was taken. I am sure the move will create a lot of problems for tourism-related activities,” Lyngdoh said on Saturday.
Officials in Ri Bhoi district said more than 100 tourists have been sent back from the Umling entry gate as they wanted to visit the state only for a day. There are thousands of people from Assam who used to come to Shillong in the morning and leave by evening.
The Congress leader also sought clarity from the government on whether the tourists are expected to come with an RT-PCR negative report or they have to rely on the RAT done at the Umling entry point.
“The government should also clarify if a tourist would remain indoors for
ive days in their hotels or they can move freely after entering the state,” Lyngdoh said.
Concerned with the fact that many people from the state who returned from outside have tested COVID-19 positive, she asked if this was a correct time to invite tourists when India has already seen several cases of mutation of the virus.
Lyngdoh said the government must ensure that incoming tourists are COVID-free while asking the government to be transparent about its preparations in handling any mutated strain of the coronavirus.
She said the Meghalaya government cannot yet claim that the state is COVID-free and advised it not to lower its guard.
