Shillong, Nov 5: The ropeway is on. The government is not backing down.
Newly inducted Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh on Thursday made his first big announcement after returning to the Cabinet — the Shillong Peak Ropeway from Riat Laban will go forward, despite stiff opposition from various organisations.
Speaking to reporters after taking charge of the Tourism Department, Lyngdoh said the project has already cleared all hurdles, secured all clearances, and cannot be stalled now over protests.
“The government has taken a decision. The ropeway will happen from Riat Laban. We will not shift it, we will not shelve it,” Lyngdoh said, sending a clear message to the Joint Action Committee, the KSU, the Riat Laban Dorbar Pyllun, women’s groups and other organisations opposing the project at Lum Shillong.
Lyngdoh, who was the man behind the project from its conceptualisation, said the opposition was based on misinformation on water, trees and catchment. The government, he said, has already answered every concern — from the 0.2% catchment impact to the springs being 500 metres to 1 km away, the alignment passing above the tree line, and the European CEN safety standards.
He pointed out that the project has NOCs from the Indian Air Force, Indian Army and Airports Authority of India, tree-cutting permission from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change with compensatory afforestation, and technical expertise from French major POMA. RITES is the project management consultant.
In a key move to remove the last roadblock, Lyngdoh also announced that the contractor executing the project will be provided with a trading licence — a demand that had become a major flashpoint with local bodies and the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council.
“This will ensure there is no legal or procedural hurdle left. Work will proceed smoothly and within the law, respecting local systems while ensuring development does not suffer,” he said.
The Minister said the trading licence issue had been unnecessarily turned into a controversy. Once issued, the contractor will be able to operate fully within the rules, and there will be no excuse left to obstruct work on the ground.
Lyngdoh said the Laban-to-Shillong Viewpoint monocable gondola, funded by the New Development Bank and PM-DevINE, is not just a tourism project, but a gamechanger for Shillong — easing access to the peak, cutting down vehicular pressure on the narrow hill road, creating jobs for local youth, and putting Meghalaya on the global ropeway map.
He also said the government will continue to engage with the JAC and the Durbar, but engagement will not mean indefinite delay.
“The door is open for discussion, but the project will not stop. We have already held two rounds of public consultation. Meghalaya cannot afford to lose this opportunity,” Lyngdoh asserted.
He added that once completed, the ropeway will become a model for future ropeways across the state and will give local entrepreneurs, taxi drivers, guides and shop owners a direct boost.
With Paul back in Tourism, the message from the government is loud and clear: the ropeway row is over, the ropeway is coming.
