Shillong, Sept 8: A tourist bus from Assam and its passengers, including women and children, were detained on Saturday for more than 14 hours for unknowingly trying to cross the Umiam Bridge, which is restricted for vehicles over 4 metric tonnes to cross over.
According to sources, the bus driver was unaware that vehicles over 4 metric tonnes aren’t permitted to cross over the bridge. The bus while trying to cross the bridge hit the height barricade installed near the bridge.
Immediately, the police stationed near the bridge detained the bus as well as the passengers at the nearest police station. However, the manner in which the police conducted thereafter has now been decried.
“The bus passengers, who were all tourists, were detained and had to spend the night inside the bus without food and water. They had to be there for nearly 15 hours,” a person said on condition of anonymity.
Others argue the police were well within their rights to detain the bus for its folly, but since it’s a minor violation and attracts a fine, the bus and the passengers should have been let free after imposing the penalty.
“But this did not happen. In the name of enforcement, the bus was stopped for about 14 to 15 hours even though women and children were present in it spending the whole night without food and water,” the person added.
The bus and the passengers were finally released on Sunday morning at about 10 am after paying a fine of Rs 2,000. “If this action (imposing penalty) could have been taken last evening then why was it not done? Why keep it detained overnight?” some of the other passengers asked.
They said such actions would not help Meghalaya’s tourism, which the government is trying to promote aggressively. “Will this kind of behaviour increase tourism in Meghalaya?” an aggrieved person asked.
