SHILLONG/GUWAHATI:
The tourist taxi drivers of the state on November 25 held discussion with their counterparts from Assam over the prevailing situation wherein vehicles from both states are not allowed to enter Assam or Meghalaya.
A joint meeting of tour operators of Guwahati and Shillong was held in Guwahati on Friday in which they decided to urge both the state governments to put an end to the present impasse so that the movement of tourist taxi will not be disrupted between the two states.
The meeting was represented by three tour operators associations of Assam- All Guwahati Tourist Taxi Drivers Union (AGTTDU), Greater Guwahati TATA Sumo Drivers Welfare Association (GGTSDA) and All India Road Transport Workers Federation, Assam Unit.
They also decided to submit a memorandum to Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma, transport and tourism department by Iaitylli Tourists Owners and Drivers Association on Saturday to resolve the issue.
In Assam, the memorandum will be submitted by three tour operator organizations to Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, tourism and transport department on Saturday.
General secretary of Iaitylli Tourist Taxi Owner and Drivers’ Association, Balajied Jyrwa informed that there are hundreds of students from the state who are stranded outside Meghalaya due to the current impasse.
“They have called us for help to ferry them home,” he said.
Jyrwa added that during the meeting they agreed that vehicles from Assam will drop passengers coming into Meghalaya at Jorabat from where the state’s vehicles will pick them up so that they can be brought home.
He stated that the tourists’ vehicles of Assam are being escorted by police up to Jorabat whereas Meghalaya’s vehicles are not being given any such protection while travelling in the neighbouring state.
Jyrwa said that in the coming days the associations from Meghalaya and Assam will send representations to their respective state governments to sort out issues which are occurring frequently.
“Even if there is a small scuffle it affects us tourist taxi drivers,” he said.
Jyrwa also informed that if the governments are not able to sort out the niggling issues then the tourist drivers of both the states will have to stop ferrying passengers.
“The issue should be resolved by two state governments. Normalcy should be returned. Passengers have to pay excess fares due to ongoing situations. They have to pay the fare from Shillong to Jorabat and Jorabat to their destination,” said Gul Mohammad Khan, general secretary, AGTTDU, Guwahati.
“If they fail to resolve the issue within November 28, we will launch an indefinite stir from November 29,” Khan said.
Assam Police on Friday continued to advise people from the state not to travel to Meghalaya as the situation is not good.