SHILLONG, NOV 12: As the Joint Action Committee marched to the Secretariat demanding that the Shillong Ropeway Project be scrapped, Cabinet Minister and South Shillong MLA Sanbor Shullai moved in the opposite direction, submitting a memorandum to Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma seeking an independent expert probe instead of cancellation.
Shullai, leading members of the 19th South Shillong Advisory Committee, said the memorandum carried the resolution adopted in favour of an expert committee to examine whether the ropeway would affect water sources.
He said the proposal had already been placed before Dorbar Shnongs, stakeholders and the JAC at Wednesday’s meeting, but instead of a discussion, chaos followed.
“Today, those who supported the proposal for an expert committee have come to submit the proposal. Yesterday, we placed this proposal before all the Dorbar Shnongs, stakeholders and the JAC, but instead of discussing the proposal, they created havoc in the meeting,” Shullai told reporters.
With the Chief Minister out on tour, the memorandum was handed over to his office. Shullai said Sangma is expected to call the committee next week after his return to discuss the proposal.
“Our proposal, as I have stated, is to constitute an independent expert committee. We will discuss this with the Chief Minister,” he said.
Shullai strongly rejected the JAC’s claim that Wednesday’s meeting was ended abruptly, calling the charge fabricated.
“These are all false and baseless. Whatever allegations they have levelled against everybody attending the meeting are all false and baseless. It is all a fabricated statement,” he said.
Asked about the JAC’s march to the Secretariat, Shullai refused to be drawn in.
“That is not our lookout. I will not comment anything on that, because all members who have come to accompany me to submit the memorandum are genuine residents of Laban and 19th South Shillong,” he said.
In its letter, the Advisory Committee urged the government to constitute an expert committee at the earliest to analyse the JAC’s concerns over the possible impact of the ropeway on water sources. It proposed that the committee comprise environmental experts from premier institutions such as IITs, NITs or any other highly credible institute, so that an independent agency examines the fear of impact on the water source.
The committee also cautioned that further delay would escalate the project cost and burden the public exchequer, and argued that scrapping the project without substantial scientific evidence, ignoring the sentiments of the majority of stakeholders, would only disrupt development programmes in 19-South Shillong constituency.
By Our Reporter
