States » EastPosted at: Nov 5 2026 10:53PM


No rollback on Rs 151-Cr Shillong ropeway project, says Meghalaya Tourism Minister

Shillong, Nov 5 (UNI) Meghalaya Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh has reiterated the state government's firm stance on the Shillong Peak Ropeway Project, asserting that the initiative cannot be rolled back following the formal execution of agreements.
Several groups, led by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) Against the Shillong Ropeway Project, have demanded an immediate halt to the Rs 151-crore initiative over environmental and community concerns.
However, Lyngdoh noted that reversing decisions after agreements and clearances are secured could damage investor confidence in Meghalaya.
“Such developments could make government agencies and private investors cautious about committing to future projects in the state,” the minister cautioned.
Lyngdoh stated that the current agreement does not provide for a cooling-off period during which the parties could reassess the project's feasibility after months or years.
“The project has already received the necessary permissions and clearances and cannot be rolled back after the agreements were formally signed,” he said.
“We are willing to engage further with these stakeholders by taking them to sites like Sikkim and Shimla, where we have ropeway projects amid hill stations,” Lyngdoh said.
Defending the Shillong ropeway project, Lyngdoh said the proposal had been under consideration for several decades and was not a decision taken recently.
Lyngdoh recalled that during the 1980s, tourists heading to Shillong Peak frequently faced closed gates and stringent ID checks.
“These past difficulties drove the demand for better access," he said, asserting that the new ropeway will ease the journey by reducing travel time between Terminal 1 and the viewpoint to about three minutes.
Outlining the project's approval timeline, Lyngdoh stated that the government obtained written preliminary consent from the local Dorbar in 2022, followed by the signing of a formal land lease agreement between the Riat Laban Dorbar Pyllun and the Tourism Department in 2023.
Lyngdoh also revealed that the project has successfully secured No Objection Certificates from the Airports Authority of India, the Indian Air Force, and the Indian Army.
“Land required for compensatory plantation was likewise transferred to the department in 2023,” the minister said, adding that the Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the parties in 2023, making it a bilateral agreement with a validity period of 30 years.
“Once the necessary agreements had been signed and formalised, withdrawing from the project was no longer a straightforward option,” he said.
Questioning the timing of the opposition, the minister said objections began emerging only last year, despite the project having progressed through the required procedures.
“Those opposing the initiative had not provided sufficient explanations beyond expressing their unwillingness to support it,” he said.
He further informed that a project of such significance, involving coordination at the level of the Prime Minister's Office and the President's visit, would have undergone appropriate scrutiny.
“The fact that the Indian Army and Air Force had issued their clearances was also significant given the security considerations associated with the location,” Lyngdoh said.
Addressing the project's environmental impact, the minister cited a 2022 notification from the union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Lyngdoh said that a ministerial expert committee had explicitly classified aerial ropeways as an environmentally friendly transportation alternative.
Maintaining that the project has strictly adhered to due process, the minister cautioned that any move to scrap the initiative following the execution of formal agreements would trigger wider repercussions for Meghalaya's developmental trajectory and its capacity to attract future investments.
The 913-metre ropeway project is funded by the New Development Bank and the central government under the PM-DevINE scheme.
The ropeway will utilise a monocable gondola configuration connecting Madan Laban to an upper terminal near the existing Shillong Viewpoint, reducing travel time between the points to approximately five to six minutes.
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Tags: #No rollback on Rs 151-Cr Shillong ropeway project# says Meghalaya Tourism Minister
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