Shillong, Oct 27 The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) on Tuesday halted the Rs 151 crore Shillong Peak ropeway project over alleged licensing violations.
KHADC Chief Executive Member Winston Tony Lyngdoh confronted representatives of the executing joint venture, KEC International Ltd and Tantia Construction Ltd, over the alleged failure to obtain a mandatory trading licence from the council and questioned the movement of heavy machinery to the site before the necessary permissions were secured.
The council also raised questions over the absence of a No Objection Certificate from Hima Mylliem, the traditional administrative authority in the area.
Lyngdoh led the Council’s delegation to the site as Council officials put the site under lock and key.
“Our enforcement team have come twice to serve notice and also got verbal assurance from the operators. However, we realised that these people went ahead with construction without respecting the local authorities,” Lyngdoh said.
He said the council’s delegation visit and subsequent action were prompted by the construction company’s failure to comply with the laws of the land.
Lyngdoh said the council had raised concerns over the absence of a mandatory trading licence and questioned why construction activities, including the movement of heavy machinery, had begun without the requisite clearances from the local traditional institutions.
The council’s action comes amid continuing opposition from local residents and environmental groups over the project’s potential impact on forests, water sources and community rights.
The Tourism department, however, has maintained that it obtained the necessary permissions, including an NOC from the Raid Laban Dorbar Shnong, and entered into a lease agreement before proceeding with the project. It has, however, acknowledged that the contractor’s trading licence from the KHADC remained pending.
The Rs 151-crore project is being funded through Rs 80.89 crore from the New Development Bank and Rs 70.11 crore under the Centre’s Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North Eastern Region (PM-DevINE) scheme.
The proposed ropeway will connect Madan Laban with the Shillong Viewpoint near the peak through a monocable gondola system.
The government says it is intended to improve access to the popular tourist destination, where visitor movement is restricted by security arrangements on the existing road.
The foundation stone of the project was laid virtually by President Droupadi Murmu on January 16, 2024, during her visit to Meghalaya.
Construction began on October 15, 2025, according to the Meghalaya Ropeway Development Authority.
The government has defended the project against environmental concerns, saying the alignment would not affect the Umiew catchment that feeds the Greater Shillong Water Supply Scheme.
Officials have also said the ropeway would help reduce vehicle congestion and create employment opportunities for local residents.
(PTI News)
