Staff Reporter
GUWAHATI: The All Assam Cab Operators’ Union (AACOU) staged a protest at Borjhar Airport here on Saturday against the RTA’s (Regional Transport Authority’s) rule not allowing cab operators holding permits of three States – Assam, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh – to operate in Guwahati as cabs.
Shouting slogans against the State government, the cabbies said that either the RTA should allow them to operate in the city or shoot them down. According to the rule, if a cab having permission to ply in Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh is found to operate as a cab in Guwahati it will have to cough up fines as much as Rs 15,000.
“Many drivers are educated unemployed. They bought cars with bank loans and eke out their living working as drivers of their own cars. They had to take this profession after not getting government jobs. If such sudden changes are made in transport rules, what will we do? Our protest will be vigorous, and even we may opt for committing suicide. If the department can’t do anything for us on this front, it should give us an extra support system,” one of the cabbies said.