SHILLONG : The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council has effectively paused the Rs 153-crore Shillong Ropeway Project, ordering the companies behind it to prove within seven days that they hold the legal permissions required to operate in the area or face enforcement action.
The directive follows a meeting between KHADC Chief Executive Member Winston Tony Lyngdoh and the Joint Action Committee (JAC) opposing the ropeway, a group representing residents under the Riat Laban Dorbar Pyllun. Their concern centers on the Lum Shyllong catchment, which supplies water to roughly half of Shillong.
Lyngdoh said Council enforcement officials visited the project site on July 28 and found a joint venture between KEC International and Kolkata-based Tantia Construction Ltd carrying out the work, but the firms could not immediately produce the required trading license. “The enforcement team has given the manager seven days to produce all relevant documents,” Lyngdoh said, adding that the Council needs to determine whether a trading license is required at all. He warned that if the firms fail to comply within the week, the Council will deploy enforcement personnel to take further action.
On the tree-felling reported at the site, Lyngdoh said the Council would seek clarification from the Hima Mylliem, noting: “If the forest falls under Council jurisdiction, we will task our forest officials to investigate. The state Tourism Department has maintained the project’s environmental impact will be “minimal,” but the KHADC’s review is currently focused on the legality of land use and permissions.
The JAC has called the project a direct threat to the city’s water security. JAC chairperson Deborah Marbaniang alleged a lack of transparency after the meeting, saying many residents under the Riat Laban Dorbar Pyllun were unaware of any public hearings. “This is not just about Riat Laban,” she said, pointing out that the catchment supports water needs across Malki, Mawprem, Jaiaw, and Riatsamthiah, and warning that damage to the area “will lead to permanent water shortages for future generations.”
The committee has demanded that the Tourism Department and local Dorbar release full records of the consultation process, including attendance registers and public notices. JAC member Olivia Lyngdoh Mawlong said residents only grasped the scale of the project after watching trees being cleared on the hill.
Pushing back on claims that the opposition is “anti-development,” she said infrastructure should not come at the cost of essential natural resources. “We now have stood up,” she said, adding that she and the group would have no regrets when future generations ask why the hill was allowed to be destroyed “the sad thing is for those who kept quiet.”
Another committee member, Alvarin Marwein, said Lum Shyllong is sacred to the people and that they will stand firm against the government’s backing of the project. The committee has submitted a formal memorandum to Lyngdoh’s office urging a halt to the project and has reached out to Laban-Mawprem MDC Ricky AJ Shullai and South Shillong MLA Sanbor Shullai for support.
Several hundred trees have reportedly been felled for the project so far, and questions remain over whether the September 2022 public consultation cited by the Meghalaya Ropeway Development Authority actually took place as described.
