Shillong, Nov 12: What began as a mothers’ protest over trees and water has turned into Shillong’s biggest law-and-order flashpoint. The Joint Action Committee against the Rs 151-crore Shillong Peak Ropeway Project has kept the capital on edge with sit-ins, marches and gheraos, demanding that the 913-metre ropeway from Madan Laban to Shillong Viewpoint be scrapped or shifted from Lum Shyllong.
The JAC, led by Deborah Marbaniang and Dr Linda Marbaniang, says over 544 trees have been felled, the water catchment of Greater Shillong is under threat, and the sacred Lum Shyllong is being commercialised. It alleges the community was never informed, the public hearing lacked transparency and has demanded the resignation of the seven Rangbah Shnongs and revocation of the land lease with the Tourism Department.
Tension boiled over on Wednesday when a meeting called by Minister Sanbor Shullai at the State Convention Centre collapsed. Shullai walked out amid shouting and pushing, with the JAC alleging manhandling of elderly women and Shullai alleging political instigation. The JAC rejected his proposal for an independent IIT and NIT expert panel to study water fears.
The worst clash came on Thursday outside the Secretariat. After marching from the U Kiang Nangbah statue, protesters tried to break through barricades to stage a sit-in at the main gate. Women police personnel deployed there blocked them, leading to a heated exchange. Some protesters allegedly tried to push through the barricades, resulting in a brief physical confrontation with the women officers. Police pushed back, seized the mattress brought for the dharna, and a separate scuffle was reported between GTF chairman H Bansiewdor Nonglang and male police.
The magistrate then declared the rally illegal for exceeding its two-hour permission and violating the no-stopping, no-dharna condition. After repeated warnings, protesters were removed in two buses and dropped back at Barik.
The government insists the project is legal, with clearances from the Environment Ministry, Defence and Airports Authority, is 3.15 km from Lum Shyllong, and is funded by the New Development Bank and PM-DevINE for completion by October 2028. After KHADC sealed the site on October 27 over trading licence issues, the administration broke the locks on November 4 and filed a police case against the KHADC inspector.
With the JAC vowing not to move till the project is scrapped and the government refusing to blink, Shillong remains caught between development and identity, and Thursday’s clash has left many asking how a protest for water turned into a physical standoff with women in uniform.
