Taxi Tussle Between Assam and Meghalaya Leaves Travelers Stranded at Jorabat Border
A heated clash between taxi operators from Assam and Meghalaya has brought cross-border travel to a standstill. On Thursday, hundreds of passengers, including tourists, found themselves stuck at Jorabat—the busy gateway between the two northeastern states. This Assam-Meghalaya taxi dispute started earlier this week and quickly snowballed, hitting tourism and daily commuters hard.
It all kicked off when the All Khasi Meghalaya Tourist Taxi Association (AKMTTA) blocked Assam-registered cabs from heading into Shillong and other spots in Meghalaya. Local drivers say the flood of out-of-state taxis is stealing their business. They’re pushing the Meghalaya government for a Reciprocal Transport Agreement and a fresh tourism transport policy to level the playing field.
Assam’s transport unions didn’t sit quietly. They hit back by stopping Meghalaya taxis from picking up passengers at Guwahati Railway Station and Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport. Things boiled over at Jorabat on Thursday, with protests clogging the interstate border and causing massive traffic jams.
The drama even turned political. Protesters stopped the car of former Meghalaya Education Minister Rakkam A. Sangma, but Assam Police stepped in to escort him through the blockade.
Former Meghalaya Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh sounded the alarm, urging the AKMTTA to talk things out directly with Assam’s groups. "Tourism drives Meghalaya’s economy," he warned. "These blockades will hurt jobs and livelihoods on both sides." The Meghalaya Tourism Development Forum and state officials echoed his concerns, saying the standoff could ruin the upcoming tourist season in the Northeast.
Over in Assam, taxi unions are digging in their heels. They’re threatening a full boycott of Meghalaya vehicles if the restrictions don’t end. "We want equal rights to operate everywhere," one leader declared.
This escalating Assam-Meghalaya border dispute has already wrecked travel plans. Tourist groups are canceling trips left and right, and the chaos shows no signs of stopping. Everyone’s hoping the two state governments jump in soon to sort out this taxi crisis before it spirals further and damages Northeast India’s tourism boom.
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