Shillong Member of Parliament Dr Ricky AJ Syngkon has appealed to Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav to intervene and protect the Experimental Botanical Garden at Barapani from land acquisition proposed for the Greenfield NH-6 alignment.
In a letter submitted on Tuesday, Syngkon highlighted the ecological and scientific significance of the botanical garden, describing it as one of India’s best-maintained and richest plant conservatories. The garden houses over 1,200 plant species, including endemic, endangered and threatened taxa from the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot.
Emphasising the conservation value of the site, the Shillong MP stated that the environmental cost of routing the highway through the garden far outweighs the marginal benefits of the current alignment. He warned that any irreversible loss or fragmentation of the garden would severely damage a unique national conservation asset.
Syngkon urged the ministry to examine the project proposal in consultation with environmental and biodiversity experts and to provide statutory protection to the site.
He further requested the Union Environment Ministry to advise the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and the project implementing agency NHIDCL to adopt an alternative alignment for the Greenfield NH-6 corridor that would completely bypass the botanical garden, ensuring its continued role as a gene sanctuary and research-education hub.
The MP also proposed that the Experimental Botanical Garden be given formal recognition or notification as a critical biodiversity conservation area of national importance, so that any future development proposals in the surrounding region undergo strict environmental and biodiversity-impact scrutiny.
“The Experimental Botanical Garden at Barapani is a matter of pride not only for Meghalaya but for the entire country,” Syngkon stated, urging the Union Minister to take immediate and necessary action to preserve the site.