GUWAHATI: The ongoing scrutiny of migrant labourers’ documents in Meghalaya by some “pressure groups” has significantly impacted the hotel industry, particularly in the state capital, Shillong.
These pressure groups are concerned about the influx of illegal immigrants into the state.
Amidst rising anti-immigrant sentiments, tourists from various parts of the country faced difficulties on Friday when members of the Hynniewtrep National Youth Front, a pressure group, obstructed Assam-registered tourist vehicles from visiting touristic sites and checked the documents of travellers.
Several vehicles were allegedly turned back. The Meghalaya police promptly took action, arresting ten members of the pressure group in connection with the incident.
The Federation of Shillong Hotels reported a decline in business due to booking cancellations.
“We recorded 30% cancellation of bookings yesterday. We anticipated 50% cancellation of bookings today but there was some recovery,” Parambir Sehdave, president of the federation, told TNIE.
“As stakeholders, we have apologised on behalf of the state for what the tourists had to go through. We are sorry that this has happened in our state. We hope that this will not happen again. We are taking some corrective measures,” he said.
He said it was a one-off case and the situation was normal on Saturday.
“The vehicles from Assam carrying tourists are going to various tourist destinations in Meghalaya. There was no problem,” he further stated.
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