Shillong: The Meghalaya government plans to develop Umtyngar as a dedicated transit point for tourists and has brought tourism and transport stakeholders together to address concerns over the share of business going to local taxi operators.
The decisions were taken at a meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister in-charge of Transport Sniawbhalang Dhar on Monday, attended by representatives of tourist taxi associations, hotels, homestays and tour guides, besides officials of the Tourism Department and East Khasi Hills district administration and police.
The proposed Umtyngar facility will have a parking area along with basic amenities such as toilets, a café and a food court. Dhar said it is intended to function as a structured pick-up and drop-off point for tourists heading towards the Sohra circuit.
The project will be taken up by the Transport Department after the local community offered land for the facility without cost, he said.
Rather than immediately replicating the model elsewhere, the government will first assess the Umtyngar project before deciding on similar facilities at other tourist locations.
A separate mechanism was also discussed to address the concerns of local tourist taxi operators, who have been seeking a larger share of bookings generated by hotels and homestays.
Dhar said representatives of the taxi sector, hospitality industry and tour guides will work together through a newly formed committee to improve coordination and encourage hotels and homestays to use local taxis.
The meeting comes amid efforts to revive tourism activity in the state. Dhar said tourist movement had slowed in recent days but was now showing signs of recovery, adding that the government’s tourism initiatives were expected to have a gradual impact.
He also said security arrangements along the Sohra circuit would be strengthened, with police monitoring the route round the clock and CCTV surveillance being expanded to important locations, including homestays.
Dhar described the meeting as an important attempt to bring different sections of the tourism industry to the same table and resolve issues that have persisted between stakeholders.