BYRNIHAT : The protest over the stopping of Assam vehicles from entering Meghalaya continued at Byrnihat on Friday after the All Khasi Meghalaya Tourist Taxi Association (AKMTTA) took steps to stop Assam vehicles from entering the state.
The All Shillong Tourist Taxi Association (ASTTA) also came forward to express solidarity with and support for the AKMTTA. Members of both associations travelled to Byrnihat, where they stopped Assam vehicles and prevented them from entering Meghalaya.
At the same time, members of the associations also stopped tourist taxis from Meghalaya and asked passengers arriving from outside the state to get down, as a response to the ongoing restrictions imposed on Meghalaya vehicles in Assam.
The protest intensified after groups in Assam stopped and disrupted the movement of Meghalaya residents at Jorabat, including trucks and other vehicles carrying essential goods.
Speaking to the media, AKMTTA president Ricaldinus Dohling said the association would stand firm on its decision to turn back vehicles coming from Assam as long as the agitation to stop Meghalaya vehicles continued in Assam.
He said that if the arrangement was for tourist taxi operators from Meghalaya to operate only up to the border, the association was ready to follow such a system.
However, Dohling said Assam should also follow the same arrangement, with passengers getting down at the border and Assam taxis operating only up to that point.