Strike will target outside tourist taxis, will not affect essential services, inter-state transit or traffic along NH-6, AKMTTA president assures
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Sept 15: The All Khasi Meghalaya Tourist Taxi Association (AKMTTA) has announced an indefinite strike of local tourist taxis starting from 5 am on Tuesday, calling on the public and various stakeholders to extend their support.
In a statement, association president Ricaldison Dohling said the strike was necessitated by the state government’s failure to address long-standing demands over the past two years.
“This action is to protect the livelihood of our taxi operators and safeguard the future of our generations,” he stated.
The association is demanding that the government frame policies to restrict outside tourist taxis from freely operating at the state’s tourist destinations.
According to Dohling, taxis from outside Meghalaya should confine their services to hotels or designated Shillong-Guwahati taxi stands, while only local taxis should be allowed to ferry tourists to scenic spots.
“The measure is not just for immediate relief but to ensure a sustainable future for the local transport sector,” he added.
The association clarified that the strike will target only outside tourist taxis and will not affect essential services, inter-state transit or traffic along NH-6. Emergency vehicles and official government duty vehicles will also be exempted.
The association further warned against any attempts to exploit the situation. “We will not tolerate lawlessness or attempts to disturb public order,” Dohling said, cautioning drivers against overcharging passengers.
Any such misconduct, he added, would be reported to the Motor Vehicle Inspector for strict action.
Further, appealing for support from community leaders, NGOs, hotels, guesthouse owners and fellow drivers, the association expressed confidence that collective efforts will bring about “positive and lasting change” for the state’s transport sector.
Meanwhile, the Ri-Bhoi police will deploy its personnel all along the Shillong- Guwahati Highway to ensure there is no disruption to traffic movement.
Ri-Bhoi Superintendent of Police Vivekanand Singh Rathore said the police have already alerted field units to keep a close watch on any such activity.
“If there is any such attempt, we will try to convince them not to (disrupt traffic movement), and come to a solution,” he said, adding that officers would be deployed in different stretches from Khanapara to Umiam to ensure there is no disruption to traffic movement.
It may be mentioned that Assam transporters have also threatened similar actions if the cabbies from Meghalaya go ahead with such restrictions.
