Shillong: Former Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh is pushing back against critics of the Shillong Ropeway project. He claims the development meets every safety protocol and environmental standard required by the state. The President of India personally laid the foundation stone, a move Lyngdoh argues confirms that all necessary procedures were followed from the start.
Construction began years ago. Protests only surfaced recently, two to three years after the project gained official approval. Lyngdoh points to successful ropeway systems in Uttarakhand as evidence that the model works for mountain terrain. He dismisses fears of mass deforestation, noting the project uses Swiss technology to limit tree felling strictly to tower and base sites.
The project will not strip the Shillong Peak forest. Lyngdoh challenged the logic of the opposition during a recent statement. "Is it possible that you will have hill stations with no trees? Where on earth will you find a hill station without trees?" he asked. Local landowners have already walked the site with government officials and voiced their full support for the work.
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