After seeing a social media post on the formation of Nagaland Ambulance Association where some of the Ambulance Owners and drivers didn’t like the idea, I am penning down this article to encourage our people to be very cautious, brave and be very mindful of fake news and rumours.
To form any Union/Association is individual decision, if we go against it we may become a violator. But we should know that whoever wants to join in this kind of Union/Association it is individual decision and they don’t have any authority for other members who do not want to join in the Union/Association, and whatever terms and conditions are made by Union/Association it will be for their members only and it cannot be applicable to non-members, when we face these types of situation if we remain silent or if we don’t file any FIR against the Union/Association we will be the main destroyer of the world.
In our Nagaland Taxi Union/Association has it’s own Union/Association, however even Government guidelines do not made it mandatory to register everyone who are driving taxi, and if you did not registered under Taxi Union/Association you cannot be bound by their guidelines, also no one can say that only people who have registered under Taxi Union/Association shall drive taxi. As taxi permits are being provided to the individuals but not to the Union/association. However if one does not register under Union/Association, one should know that during any kind of emergency or insurgency tax you will be alone. Also Union/Associations are rich as of that if they purchase land and made parking space one cannot park their taxi at their place, however at Government road where RTA/RTO allotted parking space for Taxi one can park there even if one does not registered under Taxi Union/Association, through RTA/RTO information may provide to Taxi Union/Association however it does not mean that Taxi Union is the owner.
From my experience let me say an example, I was driving someone’s zonal taxi from 2008-2009, at that time on the way if any faction stops the taxi and ask for my Taxi Union ID card, I used to reply, “I’m not a member of Taxi Union and if you want to search it as a guidelines then I shall file a FIR against you” to them.
Right now I’m a business man in Kohima, but I’m not a member of Kohima Chamber of Commerce & Industries, (KCCI). They once came to my shop for KCCI collection, and I was told that it was for all the shops, so I replied, “it is a voluntary association, so I will not be a part of it”.
Forming of Union/Association is a good idea so keep forming it, however these are for voluntary people only, whoever does not wish to join they will not join, and those guidelines are for their members only but not for members who are not a part of it.