CORRESPONDENT
SHILLONG: The proposed Shillong Peak ropeway project at Lum Shyllong has triggered a fresh confrontation between the Meghalaya government and the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC), with Voice of the People's Party (VPP) chief and Nongkrem legislator Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit alleging that government departments and other stakeholders were violating a Supreme Court judgment and warning that the party could initiate contempt of court proceedings against them.
The political warning came as the Tourism Department demanded that the KHADC immediately remove the seals placed on the project's lower terminal site at Madan Laban, withdraw the seizure of project materials and allow the site to be secured. The department also threatened legal action if the council failed to comply.
The controversy has brought into focus competing claims over the management of Raid forests, the jurisdiction of the autonomous district council, the requirement for trading licences and the legal provisions governing preparatory work for the ropeway. Residents of Laban Pyllun, under the banner of the Joint Action Committee (JAC), have demanded that the project be scrapped at Lum Shyllong and relocated elsewhere. The KHADC Enforcement Wing sealed the site and seized project-related articles on October 27.
The government's response has added another dimension to the dispute, with the Tourism Department defending the project's legal framework under the Meghalaya Ropeway Act, 2022, while the VPP questioned the conduct of the departments involved.
Basaiawmoit expressed solidarity with the residents of Laban Pyllun, accusing the government of ignoring their objections and insisting that the ropeway should be shifted to another location where it was needed.
He also condemned what the party described as the government's insensitivity towards the genuine concerns raised by local residents.
"The party would also strongly condemn the insensitivity of the government towards the genuine concern expressed by the local residents as far as the ropeway project is concerned," Basaiawmoit said.
Questioning the Tourism Department's decision to lodge an FIR against a KHADC official following the enforcement action, the VPP chief said it was unreasonable to target an officer who was merely discharging his official responsibilities.
"Secondly, the party feels that it is absurd on the part of the department to file an FIR against the officer of the District Council," he said.
Taking a swipe at the department, Basaiawmoit argued that the responsibility should have been directed towards the executive committee rather than an individual official.
"It would have been more interesting if the department had the courage to file an FIR against the executive committee of the council, which is headed by the Voice of the People's Party," he said.
"The officer concerned was just performing his duty as an officer of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council," the VPP chief added.
The VPP also questioned the Tourism Department's understanding of the legal provisions governing the management and control of Raid forests, asking it to examine the relevant legislation before proceeding with the project.
"Thirdly, we would like to tell the Tourism Department and request the department to do your homework properly and carefully," Basaiawmoit said.
Referring to the United Khasi-Jaintia Hills District Management and Control of Forest Act, 1958, he said Raid forests were to be managed by their respective heads under the management of local administrative heads, subject to rules prescribed by the executive committee of the district council.
The VPP chief further alleged that the Tourism Department, Forest Department and leaders of Raid Laban were acting in violation of a Supreme Court judgment. He said the party had initially expected the government to listen to the residents' demand to stop the project but alleged that it had remained unwilling to reconsider its position.
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