Shillong: Sakhida Sawkmie, 76, and Mariam Dohtdong, 66, remain the faces of a stubborn protest. They hold an indefinite sit-in near the U Kiang Nangbah statue, right across from the Civil Hospital. They refuse to budge. The Joint Action Committee organized the action to block the proposed Shillong Ropeway Project at Lum Shyllong.
Sawkmie and Dohtdong demand the state scrap or move the project. The government remains silent. This silence only fuels the fire. Sawkmie insists the fight protects the future of their grandchildren. "We will eventually leave this world, but we are standing against the ropeway for the future of our children and grandchildren," she said. She highlighted that local youths often struggle to find work, sometimes turning to road sweeping just to survive.
The duo rejects claims they oppose all development. They want the government to pick a different site. Support grows daily. Taxi associations, social groups, and local citizens visit the site to show solidarity. Dohtdong pushed parents, women, and the youth to join their ranks. They plan to stay until the state listens. No one is going home yet.
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