Guwahati-Shillong taxi fare hike irks travellers

Shillong: At a time when rise in prices of essential commodities is giving a tough time to people, commercial tourist vehicles (diesel-run) have decided to add to the people’s woes by suddenly hiking the fare from Shillong to Guwahati by Rs 100.
Instead of Rs 300, a passenger in a shared taxi will now have to shell out Rs 400 to travel to Guwahati from Shillong.
This was revealed by the Meghalaya Tourist Transporters’ Association (MTTA) recently in a press conference. The decision is now facing flak from several quarters even as some have questioned the authority of the association to arbitrarily hike the fare.
“According to my understanding, it is the Regional Transport Authority that has the mandate to prescribe fares for commercial vehicles and not an association,” said Shemphang Lyngdoh, a computer engineer who vists frequents Guwahati on work. He added, “I wonder if this hike has the consent of the transport department”.
Similar comments have come from several regular commuters who feel that while the rate of diesel has marginally increased, the steep hike in fare is not commensurate with the increase in fuel price.
“The sudden increase by Rs 100 in the fare is not right and I think the government should step in and correct such arbitrary action,” said Subhashish Das, who works in a pharmaceutical company and often travels to Guwahati on company business.
“An association should look into the welfare of tourist taxi drivers, but should not cause inconvenience to passengers. What if we stop using diesel vehicles and opt for petrol ones whose fare has not increased by a single paisa even though petrol prices are skyrocketing,” added Das.
When contacted, Khasi Hills Tourist Taxi Association (KHTTA) president Arnold Lanong said he did not agree to the hike termed it ‘unjustified’. “Our association, which manages petrol vehicles, will stick to the old rates. The price of petrol is higher than diesel and according to government notification, the rate is Rs 375, but we still charge Rs 300 per passenger”.
On the other hand, bus fares have remained more or less constant hovering around Rs 150 per passenger between Guwahati and Shillong.