Editor,
As a daily-wage tourist cab driver and a father of six who earns a livelihood by ferrying tourists to Meghalaya’s exotic tourist spots, do I have the right to question the government on its disinterest in solving tourism issues here in the state? This may sound like an odd question to which you may not even have an answer; but as a voter who has stood in line for hours and elected our representative, I believe I do.
Our association, the All Khasi Meghalaya Tourist Taxi Association (AKMTTA), had a few weeks back submitted a memorandum to the government demanding it to issue an immediate order banning all commercial vehicles of other states from plying in and around tourist hotspots here but the government has not yet issued a justifiable reply.
The Tourism Department, on the other hand, instead of tendering to the plight of local cabbies, has in turn allowed its agency, the Meghalaya Tourism Development Corporation Ltd., to hire outside commercial vehicles (on a commission basis) for catering to the corporation’s tourism needs such as for sight-seeing and also for pick and drop services, thereby directly affecting our business. Doesn’t the corporation have vehicles of its own to cater to tourists who turn to the corporation for security and guidance? Or is the MTDC facing a financial crisis yet again?
The MDA government has time and again denied any scam in tourism projects such as the Rs 14-crore eco-tourism projects in Garo Hills. But as witnessed by all, the money spent on many so-called “developmental projects” all around the state implemented by the MTDC has been wasted due to a lack of proper planning and vision.
Why does the Meghalaya government, particularly the Tourist Department, continue to waste taxpayers’ money on useless projects? The MTDC has, for years, spent government resources carelessly, extravagantly, and without purpose. Who benefits from all this wasteful spending? Isn’t there a specialised agency here in Meghalaya to detect fraud, waste and abuse? Why is the AG’s office not taking action against such corrupt corporations?
Now, the hiring of outside commercial vehicles (on a commission basis) may be a cost-cutting move, but it is also a rule-bending one. This is so because the hiring of these commercial vehicles has not been done through a proper channel, such as the usual tendering process. But I, and several other tourist cab drivers, would like to inform them that this unlawful move isn’t a new thing but has been going on for years and years without their knowledge.
Two employees of MTDC’s Transport Unit (old Tourist Information Centre) were engaged in the hiring of commercial vehicles in exchange for attractive sums of commissions.
Initially, we thought that the commission paid by tourist cab drivers to the duo goes to the office account of the MTDC; later came to know about the reality. The duo would pocket all the money. The person who reported this to tourism officials was silenced and dismissed from his job leading to his suicide.
Despite his complaints, why isn’t there a departmental inquiry into these cash crimes? Why does the Tourism Department keep covering up wrongdoings in the corporation? It’s been a long time since this young man committed suicide; but why isn’t there a magisterial probe till now? These are bewildering questions many of us still ask.
Yours etc.,
A cab driver,
Shillong
