SHILLONG : The All Shillong Tourist Taxi Association has condemned the reported stopping and targeting of Meghalaya-registered tourist vehicles in Assam following the violence during the KSU rally in Shillong on August 19.
Association president Antholius B. Marak said tourist drivers should not be made to bear the consequences of violence in which they had no role.
Speaking to reporters, Marak said the association also condemned the attacks on Assam-registered vehicles in Shillong but maintained that retaliation against Meghalaya tourist vehicles could not be justified. “Why target Meghalaya tourist drivers?” Marak questioned, referring to reports of Meghalaya vehicles being stopped and damaged around Jorabat.
He said drivers carrying tourists were ordinary workers and should not be held responsible for the actions of protesters or others involved in the Shillong violence.
“Tourist taxi drivers should not be made to suffer for something they had no involvement in,” Marak said.
Marak also recalled previous incidents in Assam in which, according to him, more than 15 Meghalaya vehicles were damaged during agitations. He said Meghalaya’s tourist taxi associations had not retaliated by targeting Assam-registered vehicles.
He questioned why Meghalaya’s tourist operators should repeatedly become caught in disputes between the two states.
Marak said Meghalaya-based taxi associations had previously taken the initiative to hold peace talks during similar disputes. However, he said the association would not approach its Assam counterparts first this time.
“If they want the issue resolved, they should come forward for dialogue,” Marak said.
Discussions between transport groups from both states were necessary to settle the dispute and restore normal interstate movement”, he added.
