Shillong, Aug 23 (PTI) Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar on Sunday met representatives of protesting tourist taxi drivers and said his government would make efforts to address their concerns with a lasting solution.
The drivers’ association raised concerns over the absence of designated parking facilities for Meghalaya-registered tourist vehicles at Guwahati airport and alleged harassment of drivers from the state by Assam Police during their trips.
The association also alleged that several of their vehicles were damaged during protests at Jorabat during the recent tensions, and sought compensation from Assam on a par with that provided by Meghalaya.
Dhar assured the drivers that their concerns would be taken up with the Assam government and other relevant authorities to find a lasting solution.
He said the government had decided to allow inter-state movement between Meghalaya and Assam to continue as before, with a further decision to be taken after a proposed meeting on September 10.
“From this moment, we have decided that we will move freely as we were moving before. After September 10, we will take a call,” Dhar told reporters in Shillong.
He said the meeting would be held at his level and attended by the transport commissioners of Assam and Meghalaya as well as representatives of transport associations from both states.
“The concerns of our drivers are very genuine. Hopefully, by meeting both the states, the problem should be solved in future,” Dhar said.
The date and venue of the meeting are yet to be finalised, he said, adding that the government would make efforts to resolve the problems faced by Meghalaya drivers travelling to Guwahati and other parts of Assam.
His remarks came after tourist taxi drivers from Meghalaya staged protests at Umiam Lake on Sunday morning, briefly preventing Assam-registered vehicles from entering Shillong.
The protests and disruptions continued for three days, affecting the movement of tourist vehicles between the two states. Several petrol outlets in Meghalaya also ran out of fuel amid the disruption, officials said.
Dhar said the immediate priority was to ensure that transporters could travel without disruption while broader concerns were addressed through discussions between the two state governments. PTI JOP SOM
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