SHILLONG: The Joint Action Committee (JAC) Against the Shillong Ropeway Project has decided to boycott the government’s meeting on the proposed Shillong Peak Ropeway, reiterating its demand that the project be shifted from Lum Shyllong to another location.The JAC submitted a letter to the Tourism Department on Wednesday, November 4, stating that its opposition to the present project site was non-negotiable and that the government must cancel the project at Lum Shyllong and relocate it.Speaking to the media, JAC Secretary Dr Linda Marbaniang said the committee would not attend the meeting as previous discussions with the government had failed to produce any meaningful outcome.”We may not be there physically but we have presented ourselves through this letter,” she said.Clarifying the committee’s position, Marbaniang said the JAC was a group of mothers without any political affiliations who were primarily concerned about the security of water sources in Lum Shyllong.”We are mothers who cook, serve the family, clean dishes, wash clothes. Our basic necessity is water. We are concerned about the effect in Lum Shyllong. Even now, when it is not dry season, we face shortage,” she said.She pointed out that two previous meetings had ended in arguments without resolving the concerns raised by the committee.”We understand this meeting will also end with nothing because the government is adamant it will carry on, but we are also adamant we will carry on with our agitation. We will not attend,” she said.”No matter how the government pushes us to surrender, we will not surrender,” she added.In its letter to the Tourism Department, the JAC clarified that it was not against the ropeway project in principle but strongly opposed its proposed location at Lum Shyllong.”While we are not opposed to the Ropeway Project in principle, we strictly oppose its present location at Lum Shyllong. Our stance is final,” the letter stated.The committee also urged the Rangbah Shnongs to revoke the land lease agreement and called upon the government to abandon the Lum Shyllong site. It further warned that any binding resolution taken during the government’s meeting at the State Convention Centre would not be accepted by the JAC.JAC President Deborah Marbaniang warned that the agitation would be intensified if the government continued with its decision to proceed with the project.”We intend to take to the streets if the government remains adamant. This project will not affect only Laban residents or the JAC, but all residents of Shillong,” she said.Highlighting the importance of Lum Shyllong, she described it as a vital natural resource that provides clean drinking water, feeds the Umkhrah and Umshyrpi rivers, supports the dam and electricity generation, and serves as one of the last major forest areas providing fresh air to Shillong.She maintained that the committee’s movement was not driven by personal interests but by the need to protect the environment and preserve Lum Shyllong for future generations.”The motive of the JAC is not personal gain. We want unity to preserve Lum Shyllong for future generations,” she said.