[ Prem Chetry ]
BOMDILA, 10 Apr: Reacting to the allegation made recently by a taxi driver from Shillong (Meghalaya) that he had been physically assaulted by the staff of the Hilson Residency hotel here, the Bomdila Tourism Society (BTS) on Wednesday refuted the allegation and condemned “the harsh behaviour of the driver.”
BTS president Tsering Tashi said, “We called a meeting after the incident, and found that it was the cab driver who was drunk and physically assaulted one of the female staffers of the hotel on the night of 7 April.”
“The driver had asked for dinner, and when the female staffer told him that dinner would be first served to the guests, the intoxicated driver started scolding and physically assaulting the staffer,” the hotel’s manager, Sandeep Dajangju said.
“She screamed for help and called her husband, and a scuffle broke out between the two. The driver was taken to the hospital for treatment, and the doctor found that no serious injury was sustained by the driver.
“The next morning the driver apologised to the hotel staffer and in return, I handed him Rs 4,000 for treatment,” the manager said.
Meanwhile, BTS secretary Tenzin Ongmoo said that some of the taxi drivers are in the habit of asking undue favours, such as free meal, free stay and drinks.
“Some of them even behave too harshly with our staffers. They use unparliamentary and abusive words. Transportation and hotel services are complementary to each other; we must cooperate with each other,” she added.
She informed that the BTS has passed a resolution to blacklist such ill-mannered drivers.