JAC rejects minister's proposal for expert panel on Shillong ropeway
The Joint Action Committee accused South Shillong MLA Sanbor Shullai of misrepresenting a meeting outcome to divide local residents.
The Joint Action Committee (JAC) Against the Shillong Ropeway Project rejected a proposal by Cabinet Minister and South Shillong MLA Sanbor Shullai on Thursday. According to The Shillong Times, the JAC accused Shullai of misrepresenting the results of a Wednesday meeting and attempting to split the residents of Riat Laban Dorbar Pyllun.
JAC president Deborah Marbaniang stated that the committee will not accept a technical study or an expert panel in place of their demand to cancel the ropeway project. She disputed Shullai's assertion that 99 per cent of meeting attendees supported his proposal, alleging that most participants were JAC members who did not sign the attendance sheet.
Marbaniang claimed the resolution was submitted without the consent of the majority. She also accused the MLA of creating rival groups to oppose the JAC and undermining public trust. JAC general secretary Dr Linda Marbaniang said that more protest programmes will be announced in the coming days.
Shullai dismissed the allegations from the JAC as fabricated and false. He stated that the claims did not accurately represent the discussions held at the State Convention Centre. The minister declined to comment on the ongoing protest outside the State Secretariat.
The South Shillong Advisory Committee, led by Shullai, sent a letter to the Chief Minister’s Office on Thursday. The letter requested an independent scientific study of the Shillong Peak Ropeway Project by institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and National Institutes of Technology (NITs) to examine environmental impacts on U Lum Shyllong water sources.