SHILLONG, NOV 14: Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh on Saturday said the government remains open to dialogue with the Joint Action Committee (JAC), but asserted that discussion was impossible in an atmosphere where protesters were only interested in shouting.
“We have always maintained that we are accessible and our doors are open,” Lyngdoh said.
He said it was unfortunate that an invitation for talks extended by senior leader and Cabinet Minister Sanbor Shullai took a different turn.
“It is unfortunate that when a senior leader and a member of the Cabinet, Sanbor Shullai, had called and specifically invited members of the JAC to come forward for a discussion, yet it took a totally different turn unexpectedly,” he said.
“In such an atmosphere where people only shout themselves hoarse to the point that nothing else can be heard, then there is absolutely no point for discussion,” he added.
“There was no discussion that took place because the people are more interested in protesting rather than engaging in a dialogue,” Lyngdoh said.
Asked if he was willing to meet the JAC, the Minister said he had no objection, provided the group came with a spirit of accommodation.
“I have absolutely no problem in having the JAC over for discussion, provided they come with that spirit of accommodation. We have to listen to each other, most importantly,” he said.
“Discussions at that level should be bereft of emotional expression and outburst, and people should be ready to listen and see our side,” he added.
Lyngdoh questioned why the opposition to the project had surfaced only now, nearly five years after it began.
“Let me share this with you, the project started in 2022. As you all know, I was not even a member of the Assembly at that point of time,” he said.
“The MoU was signed on January 16, 2023, when I was just a candidate for the Assembly elections. So the MoU was signed during the tenure of MDA-I,” he added.
“Now, the vital question that should be asked is, why was this group not interested in raising the same point that they are raising today? What happened from 2022 till today?” Lyngdoh asked.
He said no grievance was raised during his first stint as Tourism Minister.
“In my first stint, when I took over the Tourism Department as Minister in-charge in 2023, I was in office for two and a half years, and for two and a half years nobody approached me saying we have these grievances, saying we have these problems, we have these concerns for the government to address. Nothing of this sort had happened in two and a half years,” he said.
“Today, if you calculate, 2022 till today, it is almost five years. Why the sudden dissent? Why this sudden protest?” he asked.
“But I would like the JAC to come forward. Maybe they will share those same concerns. It is never too late. We are absolutely ready to hear them out, and they should also be ready to hear us out,” Lyngdoh said.
On the demand to shift the project elsewhere, Lyngdoh said it was not feasible.
“A project is site-specific. You do not have a cut-and-paste button where you take this to another site. Everything has to start from the beginning — the clearances, the soil tests, the study of vegetation. All of these preliminary surveys and studies will have to start afresh,” he said.
He said the project had already received clearances from five different ministries and would boost Shillong as a tourism destination.
“What happened to the fact that this project also had clearances from five different ministries, and also the fact that this would add to the value of Shillong as a tourism destination, and thereby also encourage footfalls in areas like Mawlynnong, Sohra, Laitlum, etc.?” he asked.
By Our Reporter
