Shillong Ropeway Standoff Escalates As Meghalaya Government Demands KHADC Unlock Site

Meghalaya: The ongoing clash between the Meghalaya government and the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) over the ₹151-crore Shillong Peak Ropeway Project intensified on Friday, with the state government directing the council to immediately remove the seals from the lower terminal point at Madan Laban.

The order comes on the heels of the Tourism Department lodging a First Information Report (FIR) at the Laban Police Station against a KHADC enforcement inspector. Tourism Commissioner and Secretary Rosetta Mary Kurbah described the council’s actions as an "unauthorized intrusion into government property."

Defending the administration’s position, Kurbah stated, "The lower terminal belongs to the government. It is government property where we have put up a temporary camp for preliminary work like soil testing and ground levelling." She added that statutory forest clearances have already been secured from the central environment ministry, and actual construction has not yet commenced.

However, the KHADC has stood its ground, accusing the state government of using intimidation tactics. The council had sealed the location earlier this week, citing the joint venture contractor's failure to obtain a mandatory trading license.

KHADC Chief Executive Member Winston Tony Lyngdoh defended the enforcement wing's actions under the 1954 Trading by Non-Tribals Regulation. "The council must set an example to prevent outside firms from trampling on its authority," Lyngdoh asserted, noting that multiple show-cause notices regarding incomplete documentation were ignored by the implementing firm.

Meanwhile, local resistance continues to brew. The Joint Action Committee (JAC) met with traditional institutions to demand the cancellation of local land leases, voicing severe environmental anxieties regarding the vital Lum Shillong water catchment area.

The state government has warned it will take further legal steps to secure the public infrastructure site if the KHADC refuses to comply.

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