Shillong, August 8: The Local Taxi drivers under the banner of the East Khasi Hills Local Taxi Welfare Association (EKHLTWA), has decided to carry a blag flag rally on the August 11 in the whole of Khasi and Jaintia Hills in protest against the exorbitant increase rate for vehicle insurance. The desicion was taken at the Central Executive Committee of the EKHLTWA held on August 6, 2016.
Addressing reporters here on Monday, general secretary EKHLTWA , Wandonbok Jyrwa said that the Insurance documents have increased from Rs 6756 for the year 2014 to Rs 13300 this year which is very disheartening to tribal people who cannot bear such huge expenses.
“We have sought help from various political parties to raise their voice and support us against this issue and to take the matter with the central government so this exorbitant rate is reduce to some extent in out tribal state,” he said. He further said that they have decided to carry out a black flag rally by fastening a black flag in every local taxi in the whole of Khasi and Jaintia.
Meanwhile Jyrwa has also strongly criticised the rampant encroachment of tourist vehicles from outside the states mostly from Assam and West Bengal and plying freely in scheduled areas without special permit.
“These tourist vehicles are plying freely into scheduled areas without the approval of the District Council and Syiem of various Hima’s which in turn has badly affected the livelihood of the local taxi drivers in the state,” he said adding that these tourist cab coming from outside the state are also misleading the tourist by taking them to wrong places there by affecting and giving a wrong definition of tourist spot here in the state of Meghalaya.
He also said that the state government should look into the matter and tourist coming from outside should have a stopping point so that the local drivers will get the chance to pick and guide the tourist to their designated spot and in this way both the loca l people and the state government will be benefited.
He also alleged that here the police department are not doing proper checking of the special permit of the tourist vehicles coming from outside the state which is opposite when vehicles from here goes outside the state. Informing that there are 5721 local taxi drivers who have registered under the EKHLTWA and not less than eight thousand in the whole of East Khasi Hills, Jyrwa further said that when it comes to permit it should be made free to local youths who are unemployed.
He however said that the DTO have instead shut down issuing of permit which is like a obstruction to youths who are trying to find jobs and unemployed and encouraging black marketing of the permit at a very high price. ‘The permit which is supposed to be just Rs 25 has now come up to a black rate of more than Rs 2 lakhs which has encourage corruption,” he added.
