Shillong, Sept 10: The Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) has demanded the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) to issue a general notice barring all tourist cabbies from outside the state from carrying out business in tourist destinations within the council’s jurisdiction.
In a letter to KHADC EM in-charge Trade Gigur Myrthong, KHNAM working president Thomas Passah referred to the United Khasi-Jaintia Hills District (Trading by Non-Tribal) Regulation 1954 and said that para 3 clearly states that “no person other than a tribal residence of a district shall carry out a wholesale or retail trade or business within the Khasi Hills Autonomous District except under a license issued by the KHADC”.
“The very objective of the above regulation is to ensure that trade or business of the local tribes is protected at all times. Therefore, we strongly demand that the council issue a general notice barring all tourist cabbies from outside the state from carrying out business in tourist destinations located within the district as that we are able to protect the business of the local populace as mandated by the regulation, 1954,” he said.
Passah said that it has been noted that tourist taxis from outside the state, especially from the state of Assam are openly carrying out tourist business in all the tourist sites that fall under the jurisdiction of the KHADC without a trade license for the past many years.
“If these tourist taxis from outside the state restrict themselves to plying passengers from one state to another state through designated pickup and drop points, maybe a trade license will not be required. However, it is openly seen that these tourist cabbies’ ventures into the most remote tourist destination in the state of Meghalaya, which would amount to doing business within the territory of the district,” he stated.
