Shillong: The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council is preparing for a legal showdown. Chief Executive Member Winston Tony Lyngdoh confirmed Thursday that the Council could take the state government to the High Court following an FIR filed against one of its enforcement inspectors. The dispute centers on the Rs 151-crore Shillong Ropeway Project.
Police registered the FIR after an inspector seized and sealed the lower terminal site of the project on Tuesday. The Council insists the official acted strictly within his delegated authority. Lyngdoh argued that the Council followed the United Khasi-Jaintia Hills District (Trading by Non-Tribals) Regulation of 1954. "The Council had acted under the law while seizing and sealing the lower terminal site," Lyngdoh stated.
Law Department officials are currently securing a copy of the FIR to review the allegations. Powell Sohkhlet, the Executive Member in-charge of Land, claimed the government is trying to weaken the Council. He argued that officials visited the site as institutional representatives rather than private individuals. The Council fears this move aims to intimidate enforcement teams.
The developer filed for a trading license in May but failed to provide complete documentation. Key permits from Hima Mylliem and the local dorbar shnong remain missing. Although the developer holds a No Objection Certificate from Riat Laban Dorbar Pyllun, officials maintain that incomplete paperwork is a violation. The Council rejected claims that state land ownership grants exemption from local trade laws. Unlike the Umiam project where the company secured all required licenses, this contractor began site work prematurely.
Comments