Assam taxi drivers oppose 'Black Flag Protests' by Meghalaya tourist taxi association barring non-state vehicles

Assam tourist taxi drivers opposed the black flag protest launched 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.

The Assam tourist taxi drivers, on September 11 stated that such protests must be confined within Meghalaya, expressing dismay that such protests tend to pressurise the government to ban all vehicles from outside the state to ferry passengers to tourist spots inside Meghalaya. 

In July, tourist taxis with Assam registration were not allowed to go towards popular tourist destinations such as Sohra and Dawki by a local pressure group along with local taxis, forcing them to return midway from the Umtyngngar area.

In a video that has gone viral, one of the drivers from Meghalaya was confronted by a group of tourist taxi drivers from Assam and asked why the black flag was being displayed. He was then directed to remove the black flag inside Assam and was told to confine such antics to Meghalaya only. The driver removed the flag and the situation was back to normal.

“This is a vehicle from Meghalaya. There is protest going in 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 said.

He further told the driver from Meghalaya, “Why are you showing black flag in Assam? We will not allow black flag in Assam. 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 did not know the reason. He replied he was told to put the black flag on his vehicle.

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 union criticised Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh for not addressing their demand to restrict non-local vehicles ferrying tourist to popular tourist spots. Meanwhile, Lyngdoh stressed the need for unity among local tourist taxi operators and said 60 per cent of the drivers aren’t affiliated to any association.

The shortage of 3,000 vehicles to meet tourism demand was also highlighted and local drivers were urged to engage with their Assam counterparts emphasising the economic interdependence between neighbouring states.