SHILLONG: Members of the Joint Action Committee (JAC) Against the Shyllong Ropeway Project and local citizens have begun an indefinite sit-in protest outside the Main Secretariat, rejecting government offers of an exposure trip to Shimla and a joint site inspection.
The protest follows a clash with police at the Secretariat gates after demonstrators attempted to force entry.
JAC President Deborah Marbaniang dismissed Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh’s proposals for site visits, stating that comparing Meghalaya to Shimla is irrelevant and highlighting that the Lum Shyllong area is vital for Shillong’s water, food, and electricity.
Marbaniang argued that the government’s offer of a site inspection is meaningless, as a once perennial spring near the ropeway site has already dried up due to tree felling.
Earlier, the JAC, Green Tech Foundation, and supporters marched to the Secretariat demanding the project’s cancellation.
Police, anticipating unrest, deployed additional security.
Tensions escalated when women protesters tried to breach barricades, leading to a standoff and subsequent sit-in at the Secretariat gates.
Marbaniang called on the government to heed the protesters’ demands, warning that they will maintain their sit-in until the ropeway project is scrapped, citing the critical importance of Lum Shyllong’s natural resources to Shillong’s residents.
(4FrontMedia news)
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