Shillong, June 27: Meghalaya Cabinet Minister and South Shillong MLA Sanbor Shullai has said that the Rs 150-crore Shillong Ropeway Project is expected to be completed next year after facing delays caused by litigation and the process of obtaining forest clearances.
Shullai made the announcement on Saturday while inspecting the project under the Central Government’s Pragati Prabhagat Path Yatra programme, organised to mark 12 years of the Narendra Modi-led Government at the Centre.
The Minister said officials from KEC-TCL, the implementing agency, and the Engineering Wing of the Tourism Department informed him that construction work is progressing steadily.
The ropeway project will connect Shillong Viewpoint with Madan Laban, providing an alternative mode of transport while also boosting tourism in the state. Although the contract provides a three-year timeline for completion, the implementing agency has assured that the project will be ready by next year.
Shullai also highlighted the government’s efforts to compensate affected stakeholders, stating that Rs 3 crore has been sanctioned as land compensation for the Raid Laban Dorbar, of which Rs 1.50 crore has already been released.
He further assured that local residents would be given first preference for employment opportunities and commercial spaces, including shops, once the ropeway becomes operational.
The Minister said the project had encountered significant delays after a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed before the Meghalaya High Court by what he described as “vested interests.” However, the High Court later dismissed the petition, ruling in favour of the Tourism Department.
Shullai added that the project has also secured the necessary forest clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. As part of the approval conditions, the government is required to plant ten trees for every tree felled during the execution of the project.
Once completed, the Shillong Ropeway is expected to enhance urban mobility, ease traffic congestion in parts of the city, and emerge as a major tourist attraction in Meghalaya.
