Shillong, October 15: UDP legislator and former Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh on Thursday questioned the timing of the opposition to the Shillong Ropeway project, stating that all necessary environmental clearances had been obtained as early as 2022.
Reacting to the ongoing protests by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) Against Shillong Ropeway Project, Lyngdoh urged those opposing the project to examine the relevant documents before raising objections. “All environmental clearances were sought and obtained in 2022, when I was a member of the District Council. Subsequent to that, clearances from the MoEF were obtained,” he said.
Lyngdoh pointed out that neither the concerned traditional village councils nor the local MLA had raised objections during the earlier stages of the project. “The relevant dorbars have never objected at any stage, the local MLA has never objected at any point in time. This could have been raised in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Why are these bodies raising it today in 2026?” he questioned. He further clarified that the environmental clearance process had begun in 2022, even before he became a member of the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly.
Asked whether vested interests could be behind the ongoing protests, Lyngdoh declined to speculate but questioned whether those opposing the project had properly examined the official documents. “I do not generally prejudge people. I don’t know if they have perused all the relevant documents or they have been guided properly,” he said, adding that objections and complaints should be raised within a reasonable timeframe.
Defending the project, the former Tourism Minister also referred to the involvement of the President of India in laying its foundation stone. “Do you think somebody occupying the post of the President of India would agree to enter into a controversial project? The first citizen of the country coming to lay the foundation stone of a project which goes against the basic norms of environmental preservation?” he asked. Responding to concerns that compensatory afforestation elsewhere could not replace trees felled at Lum Shyllong, Lyngdoh maintained that due diligence had been carried out before the project was undertaken.
However, he acknowledged that inadequate communication from the government could be contributing to the controversy. “I saw from the press clipping that nobody from the government was willing to speak, that is the only problem. I was always talking, I keep talking and I am talking to you right now. So I think what is lacking is communication,” he stated.
His remarks come amid growing opposition from the JAC, which has demanded the immediate scrapping of the ropeway project at Lum Shyllong over concerns about its potential impact on the environment and Shillong’s water catchment areas.
