Photo Courtesy: nenews
Shillong: State officials and local representatives held a joint inspection of the Shillong Ropeway Project site in Madan Laban on Saturday. The visit aimed to address resident fears regarding tree removal and potential damage to local water supplies. Agencies involved included the Meghalaya Tourism Department, the Meghalaya Ropeway Development Authority, the Forest and Environment Department, the Public Health Engineering Department, and the Shillong Municipal Board.
The project plans include six cable towers, each standing 40 metres high with a 12 by 12 metre base. Tourism Department Commissioner and Secretary Rosetta Mary Kurbah confirmed that authorities approved the felling of 544 trees specifically for tower and station construction. To offset this, officials have planted 5,044 trees on government land to meet mandatory afforestation requirements. Kurbah stated, "We have cut 544 trees only at tower locations, all within forest land. As per 1:10 norms, we have planted 5,044 trees on government land."
Engineers increased the tower height from an initial 25 metres to 40 metres to minimize clearing needs. Officials from the Public Health Engineering Department and the Shillong Municipal Board clarified that no drinking water sources exist in the project area. Representatives of the Shnongs reinforced this finding. The delegation also inspected the proposed upper terminal near Shillong Peak, finding no trees had been felled there.
The Raid Laban Dorbar Pyllun now fully supports the initiative. Dorbar President Iosterson Sun noted that the project will boost tourism, especially since visitors currently face restrictive screening by the Indian Air Force to reach the viewpoint. Sun remarked, "Four years ago, we already discussed this project. So we request the government to speed up this project." KEC-TCL Project Head JP Singh stated the team aims to beat the October 15, 2028, completion deadline while following strict ecological safeguards.
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