All Nagaland Taxi Association clarifies Kohima taxi verification motive

KOHIMA — The All Nagaland Taxi Association (ANTA) has maintained that the motive of the zonal and local taxi verification drive in Kohima is to collect data on drivers and owners with genuine taxi permits and to ensure that taxi permits are issued to deserving candidates.

Speaking to media persons on Wednesday, the general secretary of ANTA, Elho Kin, and Victor Rutsa, ANTA assistant treasurer, stated that they have agreed to the verification drive with the Angami Youth Organisation (AYO) and are working together on it.

They opined that taxi permits are not given to deserving and genuine candidates or unemployed youths but rather to individuals who have good connections with ministers and officers. Therefore, they have started the drive to streamline these issues so that, in future, deserving persons can obtain taxi permits.

Also read: Angami Youth Organisation undertakes taxi permit verification drive in Kohima

They stated that taxi permits cannot be transferred to others, but many parties have sold their taxi permits to second or third parties. Therefore, the main motive of the drive is to collect data on how many have sold their permits to other individuals.

They emphasised that the permit is not transferable, but to their knowledge, there are many cases where permits are being sold to other individuals for various reasons.

On the issue of some drivers gathering at ISBT on June 24, they clarified that the gathering was not a protest but merely to provide information to the drivers and to clarify some misunderstandings. They also informed that the issue has now been resolved and the verification drive is being carried out smoothly.

AYO general secretary Neidilhoutuo Neibu also commented that, as per reports, there have been lapses and irregularities in issuing taxi permits and that many taxi permits are being transferred to other persons.

He also said that they will conduct re-inspections for those drivers who have not produced proper documents during the verification drive. He reiterated that since the initiative started, they have been in close coordination with the transport office and the district administration.

He maintained that their intention is to clean and filter the taxi permit system and expressed that, so far, the taxi drivers and owners have been very cooperative. He is hopeful that the drive will be beneficial for society at large.

He also said that they are going to the extent of verifying those taxi drivers who do not have a driving licence. The genuine taxi drivers and owners are being very cooperative, but he questions the documents of those drivers unwilling to come forward.