SHILLONG : The Raid Laban Dorbar Pyllun has extended its full support to the proposed Shillong Ropeway project, stating that it has no objection to the project and urging the Meghalaya Government to expedite its construction.
The statement was made on Saturday following a joint inspection of the proposed project site involving officials from the Tourism, Forest, Public Health Engineering (PHE) and Shillong Municipal Board departments.
President of the Raid Laban Dorbar Pyllun, Iosterson Sun, said the project falls within the jurisdiction of the dorbar, which is responsible for looking after the Shillong View Point.
“Actually, this is a project proposed by the Tourism Department, Government of Meghalaya. We, as Raid Laban Dorbar Pyllun, are the owners and we look after the Shillong View Point,” Sun said.
He said the dorbar has no objection to the government project and fully supports its implementation.
“So this is a government project. From our side, we do not have any objection because we are looking after the Shillong View Point. We support the project,” he said.
Dorbar expects ropeway to boost tourism
Sun said the Raid Laban Dorbar had previously discussed the project with the Tourism Department and believes the ropeway will attract more visitors to the locality.
He said tourists would be able to access Shillong View Point through the ropeway, potentially increasing tourist footfall in the area.
“We have already discussed this with the department because most of the tourists will come through the ropeway project. With the coming of this project, we are very happy because tourists will go by ropeway to visit the Shillong View Point,” Sun said.
Government urged to expedite construction
The Dorbar President also urged the state government to fast-track the project, pointing out that discussions on the proposed ropeway had begun around four years ago.
“Four years ago, we already discussed this project. So we request the government to speed up this project,” Sun said.
The Raid Laban Dorbar’s support comes amid renewed discussions over the Shillong Ropeway, with government departments conducting inspections to address concerns related to the project’s environmental impact, water sources and implementation.
The proposed ropeway is expected to improve access to Shillong View Point while providing an additional attraction for tourists visiting the state capital.