SHILLONG, NOV 11: The Joint Action Committee (JAC) opposing the Shillong Ropeway Project has accused South Shillong MLA and Cabinet Minister Sanbor Shullai of insulting residents after he allegedly walked out of a meeting of the South Shillong Advisory Committee barely five minutes after it began.
The meeting, chaired by Shullai, was attended by traditional heads (Rangbah Shnong), members of Seng Samla, Seng Kynthei and representatives of the JAC to discuss the proposed Shillong Ropeway Project.
JAC member Venetia Mawlong said the minister’s sudden departure reflected his attitude towards the concerns of the people and warned that the committee would not remain silent.
“That sudden walkout shows which side he is on. Now, we in the JAC will not sit idle,” she said.
Questioning Shullai’s claim that everyone was part of one family, Mawlong said the public deserved to be heard rather than having a meeting abruptly brought to an end.
“You say we are one family. During Puja and Diwali, you come to our homes at midnight and that is fine, but here the meeting lasted only five minutes before it was closed. You should have listened to the public,” she said.
She said several residents had made time to attend the meeting despite their work commitments and family responsibilities, particularly during the examination period.
Mawlong said the minister, as an elected representative, had a responsibility to listen to the people who had been invited to the meeting.
“This act by Sanbor shows what kind of a leader he is. It is an insult because he did not listen to us,” she added.
Another JAC member, Olivia Lyngdoh, alleged that the meeting was closed before most of the invited representatives could express their views.
She said Shullai had described the gathering as one family, read out a report and then invited discussion, but only two people were allowed to speak before the meeting was closed.
“Many Rangbah had come. Rangbah Shnong, Seng Samla and Seng Kynthei had been invited, but they were not allowed to speak, and he ran away. What does it mean when you call us? He means to insult us,” Lyngdoh alleged.
She questioned how the minister could end the meeting when the JAC and several other stakeholders had not even been given an opportunity to present their views.
Lyngdoh further criticised Shullai’s conduct, describing it as that of a defeated leader who had failed to respect the people he represents.
“When mothers speak, he says ‘wut shi wut’. When there is a meeting, do we have to listen only to whatever you say? We have to listen to each other, whether we agree or not,” she said.
Reiterating the JAC’s opposition to the project, Lyngdoh said the committee’s demand remained clear: the Shillong Ropeway Project should be removed from the proposed location.
“We demand that the Ropeway be removed from there. They already know that,” she added.