SHILLONG : Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Monday inaugurated the Pine Home Eco-Sustainable Project at Mawlangwir village in South West Khasi Hills, with the government positioning the facility as a model for sustainable tourism and locally driven development.
Sangma also remotely inaugurated the Twahlongwar Open-Air Museum at Mawsynram during the programme, bringing tourism, environmental sustainability and heritage conservation together under the State’s development plans.
The Pine Home project has been designed using locally sourced materials and traditional skills alongside modern construction methods.
Sangma said the facility incorporates natural heating systems, recycled materials and rainwater conservation, while local artisans, craftsmen and workers were involved in its construction.
“Materials used in the project are largely sourced locally, aimed to promoting indigenous resources and skills,” Sangma said.
The Chief Minister said the government has invested around ₹5.90 crore in the project through the Saitsnat Multipurpose Cooperative Society.
The facility includes a restaurant and community hall, conference and training spaces, guest rooms and a Tourism Information Centre.
The project had earlier been launched in May as Meghalaya’s first eco-sustainable habitat initiative. Government records at the time put the overall project outlay at ₹4 crore, with ₹2 crore allocated for the building component and funding from Meghalayan Age Limited and the Directorate of Tourism.
Sangma said the government wants South West Khasi Hills to develop as a tourism destination where visitors stay longer and spend more within local communities. He pointed to the CM Homestay Mission, which aims to establish 3,000 homestays across Meghalaya by 2028.
The Chief Minister also used the programme to highlight the State’s research and heritage initiatives. He said 48 scholars had received support under the Chief Minister’s Research Grant in its first year.
The official research grant programme confirms that 48 scholars were selected from 131 applications for the first tranche of the scheme.
Sangma further said 75 scholars would travel to Vietnam, Cambodia and Tibet under the ‘Tracing the Roots’ initiative to study the origins and journeys of the Khasi, Jaintia and Garo communities.
“Let Pine Home be our living laboratory and Twahlongwar our living classroom,” Sangma said, calling for the lessons from the two projects to inform future climate-resilient schools, health centres, eco-lodges and homestays across Meghalaya.
He also said development should extend beyond Shillong and that the Garo Hills, Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills should grow together.
Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong and Tourism Minister Timothy D. Shira were present during the inauguration, along with MLA Renikton L. Tongkhar, Chief Secretary Shakil P. Ahammed, Tourism Commissioner and Secretary Rosetta Mary Kurbah, district officials, traditional heads and representatives of partner organisations and local communities.
The Pine Home project is a collaboration involving the Tourism Department, Meghalayan Age Limited, Picasso Pupils, EMAGE Architecture, Saitsnat Multipurpose Cooperative Society and the communities of Mawlangwir and Wahmawpat.
