It is never too late. We are absolutely ready to hear them out, and they should also be ready to hear us out.
– Paul Lyngdoh, Tourism Minister
Shillong, Nov 15: Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh has made a fresh offer for talks with the Joint Action Committee (JAC) against Shillong Ropeway project, but wanted its leaders to express their views logically and not resort to emotional outburst.
“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 as he invited the JAC to come forward to share their concerns over the project.
He, however, lamented the JAC’s “lack of interest” in solving the matter through dialogue, saying, “There was no discussion that took place because the people are more interested in protesting rather than engaging in a dialogue.”
Expressing his willingness for talks with JAC, the Minister stressed that the latter should come “with a 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 said the government has never shut its doors.
“We have always maintained that we are accessible and our doors are open,” he said.
He recalled as to how a meeting convened by cabinet minister Sanbor Shullai with the JAC unfortunately took a totally different turn.
“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.
Lyngdoh also questioned the timing of the protest, noting that the project dates back to 2022.
“Why was this group not interested in raising the same point that they are raising today?” he asked.
He asserted that none had approached him to express concern over the project during his earlier tenure as Tourism Minister for two-and-a-half years from 2023.
On the demand for relocation of the project, Lyngdoh said such site-specific project cannot be cut and pasted elsewhere.
“Everything has to start from the beginning — the clearances, the soil tests, the study of vegetation…,” he said.
He said the project already has clearances from five ministries and would boost tourism beyond Shillong.
“This project also had clearances from five different ministries, and it would add to the value of Shillong as a tourism destination, and thereby also encourage footfalls in areas like Mawlynnong, Sohra, Laitlum, etc.,” he said.
