Shillong, November 12: Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) Executive Member Denzil R. Suchen on Wednesday backed the Joint Action Committee (JAC) Laban in its opposition to the Shillong Peak Ropeway at Riat Laban, questioning whether the company involved had secured the required trading licence and whether residents had been adequately consulted.
Speaking to reporters, Suchen said the council had issued notices to the private company and later sealed its project office. He said the company had assured the council that it would comply with the requirements, but the council had yet to receive the necessary licence documents when it took action.
Suchen said a company operating in the Sixth Schedule area under the council’s jurisdiction must obtain a trading licence from the KHADC. He also questioned the allotment of community land for the project, saying the council had received no application for a no-objection certificate from the Dorbar Shnong or the community concerned.
The executive member disputed claims that residents’ grievances had been addressed. He said only a small number of people had taken part in an earlier consultation and called for wider discussions with the affected localities.
Suchen also raised concerns over tree felling and the possible impact of construction on the catchment that supplies water to nearby localities. He called for an independent environmental assessment and asked the government to make the project documents and its plans for monitoring environmental impacts public.
A resident who also spoke to reporters said her household had to buy water and sometimes ask neighbours for a bucket. She said streams where children once played had dried up and urged the government to investigate the cause of the water shortage.
The JAC has called for the lower terminal to be shifted from Riat Laban, citing concerns over drinking water sources. At an earlier consultation, officials cited an assessment by the Public Health Engineering Department that found the project would have no impact on those sources.
