SHILLONG: The All Khasi Meghalaya Tourist Taxi Association (AKMTTA) has announced a public rally on September 18 at Malki Ground in Shillong to challenge the state government’s stance on tourism and local transport.
The rally aims to demonstrate the solidarity of various tourist taxi associations across Meghalaya and reiterate their opposition to Assam cabs ferrying visitors to local tourist spots.
The rally comes in response to comments made by Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh, who claimed that a significant portion of taxi drivers in Meghalaya are unaffiliated with any association.
The AKMTTA has strongly criticized the minister’s statement, accusing him of misleading the public regarding the unity of taxi drivers in the state.
The association’s president, Ricaldinus Dohling, emphasized the solidarity of taxi drivers in their demand to ban Assam tourist vehicles from carrying passengers to Meghalaya’s tourist spots.
“We are going to show our unity in the public rally,” Dohling said.
The rally follows a week-long black flag protest by the association that ended on Saturday.
Reacting to the Tourism minister’s assertion that Assam is a major revenue generator for Meghalaya, Dohling criticized the state government for its failure to develop a sustainable revenue model.
He highlighted the dependence of Meghalaya citizens on Assam for essential services like healthcare, often requiring them to spend significant amounts of money to travel to Guwahati for medical treatment.
“It seems like the state government prefers to rely on Assam for everything, be it health or education,” he said.
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Paul had earlier noted that key infrastructure in Assam, including the Guwahati airport and railway station, plays a crucial role in boosting tourism in Meghalaya.
