Shillong: The Voice of the People Party (VPP) has issued a sharp warning to the NPP-led MDA government. Stop suppressing the women-led agitation against the Shillong Peak Ropeway Project. Party president Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit said the VPP will join the movement if the state persists in its attempt to intimidate protesters from the Riat Laban Dorbar Pyllun. The government must stop treating public projects as personal property.
Protesters under the Joint Action Committee (JAC) have camped near the U Kiang Nangbah statue since November 6. They demand the project be scrapped or moved to protect the vital water sources at Lum Shyllong. Basaiawmoit stated, “The government’s stubbornness and its attempts to suppress and intimidate the protesting women cannot be allowed to continue.”
The movement is gaining momentum. Delegations from the Hynniewtrep Youths’ Council (HYC) Women’s Wing, the VPP State Youth Wing, and residents of Khanduli visited the site on Friday. K. Sohshiang of the HYC criticized the treatment of elderly demonstrators who were removed from the Secretariat and had their belongings tossed away on Thursday. Concerns remain that the project threatens more than just the immediate neighborhood.
VPP Youth Wing leader Jeremaiah Kharshiing challenged government claims of minimal impact. While officials promise a small footprint, project documents reveal plans for multi-storey buildings, restaurants, guest rooms, a leisure park, and food courts. Kharshiing noted that 545 trees are already gone. He fears the 600-passenger-per-hour capacity will choke the area with traffic and waste.
Khanduli residents rejected the government’s proposal to form an expert committee to review the matter. Resident Chandame Sungoh labeled such panels as delay tactics, pointing to failed inquiries into the State Reservation Policy and the Mukroh firing. Meanwhile, the Meghalaya Congress urged both sides to negotiate. President Vincent H. Pala insisted the project cannot be forced upon the public.
The government remains unmoved. Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong and Cabinet Minister Sanbor Shullai confirmed the project will proceed. Tynsong dismissed environmental concerns as misplaced, citing existing technical clearances. Minister Shullai held a meeting on November 11 that failed to break the deadlock. The standoff continues.
Comments