Escalation in Assam & Meghalaya Taxi Row

Escalation in the dispute between taxi drivers’ bodies in Assam and Meghalaya does not augur well for both the states when the entire northeast region is gearing up for a peak in tourist arrival post-monsoon. Allowing the stand-off to persist longer has the potential to severely affect the tourism industry in the two neighbouring states. Reciprocal blockades leave travellers the worst sufferers as they are stranded en route to their destinations. Tourism cannot grow in isolation in any state of the region, as travel and tour operators look at the entire region as a composite tourism market and channel domestic tourists from outside the region as well as foreign tourists to multiple destinations located in two or more states. Any disruption in developed tourism circuits on account of the standoff between the taxi drivers and owners will have cascading effects, and tourists may prefer to look for alternative destinations outside the region. Geographical location makes Assam the hub of tourism activities in the entire region, as the state shares boundaries with six states in the region. Travelling accounts for the lion’s share of tourism activities, as tourists spend much of their time on wheels to reach the key destinations, using accommodation mostly for retreating at night before leaving for the next destination in the same place or destinations away from it. Transporters, therefore, are the most important stakeholders in the tourism industry, but concerns of individual taxi drivers often remain unaddressed, as their individual stake is much less compared to the large stakes of hotel and restaurant owners, airlines, and tour operators who make high volumes of investment. The taxi drivers ferry the tourists safely to their destinations but are largely ignored by the advertising industry during tourism promotion or branding of iconic destinations, as individually they do not matter much to them with no capacity to advertise their role in the industry. As they are already marginalised in the industry in terms of visibility and sustainability, reciprocal blockades by taxi drivers and owners of the two states will only leave them further marginalised if the industry as a whole suffers as a result of their hardened positions. The primary reason behind tourists preferring tourism destinations is to spend time peacefully and relax by taking off from monotonous daily life for rejuvenation to resume their daily work schedule with new vigour. If they are apprehensive of an uncertainty about their travel and logistics, they will not prefer to stick to their planned itineraries, no matter how strong the temptations to enjoy the landscape, feel the closeness to nature in deep forests, become thrilled to watch the wildlife in their habitats, experience rich folk culture, and be attracted to explore heritage and traditions. The associations of taxi drivers and owners need to understand that while they can impose conditions on each other, their unilateral or any reciprocal actions will only drive away tourists whose money keeps their hearth burning. The pragmatic approach is to hold dialogue and mutually settle the disputes and arrive at an understanding which will ensure a win-win situation for both. When they are unable to settle through mutual dialogue, they can seek the help of other key stakeholders in the industry, such as hotel and restaurant owners and tourism departments, to negotiate a better deal. Any understanding that is reached through such dialogue having the approval of the governments concerned is a must to ensure legal and administrative backing. As the standoffbetween the All Khasi Meghalaya Tourist Taxi Association (AKMTTA) and the Motor Parivahan Sewakarmi Sanmilita Mancha of Assam has reached a dead end, leaving scores of travellers stranded, the situation calls for an urgent intervention by the governments in the two states for amicable settlements. Instead of a firefighting approach, the two governments making efforts to find a sustainable solution to the problem is critical for the tourism industry in both the states. AKMTTA has been mounting pressure on the Meghalaya government to sign a “Reciprocal Transport” agreement with the Assam government, but any such agreement being acceptable not just to transporters of the two states but also to other stakeholders in the tourism industry is crucial for practical applicability. Any unilateral solution reached by either state with the respective transporters or transport workers’ bodies is not going to end the stalemate even though it may temporarily convince them to withdraw reciprocal blockades to resume normal traffic movement. Mainstreaming the issue of protection and sustainability of livelihood of key stakeholders in the tourism industry in the government-level or industry-level dialogue will be vital to work out a permanent solution that will be inclusive and create a win-win situation. As the scope of establishing large industries is limited in the region, promoting the tourism industry remains a strategic requirement for augmenting the revenue of the states. Assam and Meghalaya must act together before any escalation in the current crisis pushes their shared tourism economy into the doldrums.