Siliguri, 11th December: After administrative intervention, the ongoing dispute between plain and hill drivers has been resolved. A meeting was held on Thursday at the SDO’s Office at Vivekananda Bhavan in Mallaguri with the presence of ADM, departmental officials, senior police officers, Taxi Driver Association, tourism business organizations, and 19 other related institutions to discuss the conflict between drivers from the plains and the hills.
Following the meeting, the ADM reinstated the previous rule allowing plain-area vehicles to operate as before and appealed for cooperative coexistence between drivers. The ADM also instructed that any problems faced by drivers should be reported to the administration, which will address their concerns. The ADM added that strict action will be taken against anyone involved in misconduct or physical altercations.
Driver organizations expressed hope that the situation will return to normal soon. The conflict had escalated after a physical altercation involving a hill driver in NJP, leading to allegations that plain-area vehicles transporting tourists to the hills were being blocked.
The dispute had been ongoing for the past ten days, prompting intervention requests from taxi associations and tourism organizations. Two days prior, plain-area driver groups had staged a protest.
Tourism organizations, driver associations, and other involved institutions thanked the administration for resolving the dispute and affirmed that drivers from both regions will now operate together, marking a positive step for the tourism sector.