Shillong, November 11: Meghalaya Cabinet Minister and South Shillong MLA Sanbor Shullai abruptly walked out of a meeting he had convened on the Shillong Peak Ropeway project at the State Convention Centre on Wednesday, after women opposing the proposed lower terminal at Riat Laban surrounded him, with some reportedly stepping onto the stage.

Following Shullai’s departure, a Green Tech Foundation leader said the Joint Action Committee (JAC) Laban would take its demand for relocation of the project to the Secretariat.

The JAC has been opposing the proposed lower terminal at Riat Laban, arguing that construction in the area could affect drinking water sources relied upon by Shillong residents. It has maintained that it would support the ropeway project if the government agreed to shift the lower terminal to an alternative location.

The meeting, scheduled for 4 pm at the Cultural Hall, was convened by Shullai in his capacity as chairman of the 19-South Shillong Advisory Committee. Representatives of the JAC, village councils, women’s groups and youth associations from seven localities in the Laban area, along with the KSU Laban Circle and Seng Khasi Ri-Raid Laban, had been invited to share their views on the project.

According to the invitation letter, the committee intended to gather the views of local stakeholders and submit them to the state government.

However, the JAC questioned Shullai’s decision to leave before hearing the residents’ concerns. It said its representatives had attended the meeting in response to his invitation but were denied an opportunity to present the issues they had come to discuss.

The JAC had reiterated its relocation demand ahead of the meeting, maintaining that the project could proceed if the government selected another site for the lower terminal.

The date of the proposed visit to the Secretariat has not yet been announced. Shullai’s response to the JAC’s allegations was unavailable at the time of reporting.