“don’t want business from Assam, yet taking our passengers”
Shillong, Sept 12: Tourist taxi operators of Meghalaya opposing cabbies from other states doing business inside the state are drawing flak from their counterparts in neighbouring Assam who have been angered by recent protests displaying black flags.
A black flag protest being staged by the All Khasi Meghalaya Tourist Taxi Association (AKMTTA) in Khasi – Jaintia Hills region against non-state tourist vehicles in Shillong and other tourist spots in the State has not gone down well with outstation cabbies from the neighbouring state.
Angry Assam tourist taxi drivers on Wednesday confronted drivers of several Meghalaya registered tourist vehicles hoisting black flags inside Assam demanding that they confine their protest inside their own state of Meghalaya.
In a video that has since gone viral, a tourist cabbie from Meghalaya was confronted by a group of angry tourist taxi drivers from Assam who questioned him about the display of a black flag atip his car inside Assam. He was advised to remove the black flag and confine such antics to Meghalaya. The driver removed the flag and brought the situation to normal.
“This is a vehicle from Meghalaya. There is protest going on inside Meghalaya but why has it come to Assam with black flag, what does he want to show or prove…” one of the drivers recording the video asked.
He suggested to the Meghalaya cabbie that, “You do that in Meghalaya; we have no issue but not in Assam.”
Ironically, when asked for the reason behind displaying black flag, the taxi driver feigned ignorance about the move. He said that he was told to put the black flag on his vehicle.
“You will come here and show us black flag and also take passengers, how will this work? You are showing this (black flag as protest to Assam tourist vehicles in Meghalaya) on our face and also taking passengers. And then you say you don’t want business from Assam, then why have you come to Assam?” they further asked.
It is worth mentioning that in July this year, tourist taxis with Assam registration were stopped from heading towards popular tourist destinations such as Sohra and Dawki by a local pressure group along with some local taxi operators.
The AKMTTA is holding a ‘Black Flag Week’ protest from September 9-14, urging local taxi drivers to display black flags in opposition to out-of-state vehicles ferrying tourists to popular destinations in Meghalaya.
The AKMTTA has criticized Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh for not addressing their demand to restrict non-local vehicles ferrying tourist to popular tourist spots.
The Tourism Minister, however, has stressed the need for unity among local tourist taxi operators and said 60 percent of the drivers aren’t affiliated to any association.
He also highlighted a shortage of 3,000 vehicles to meet tourism demand and urged local drivers to engage with their Assam counterparts emphasizing the economic interdependence between the neighbouring states.
