Shillong: The Meghalaya Tourism Department has filed an FIR against an inspector of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) for allegedly seizing the lower terminal site of the proposed Shillong Peak ropeway project, Commissioner and Secretary of Tourism RM Kurbah said on Wednesday.
Addressing a press conference, Kurbah said the department lodged the complaint at Laban Police Station on Tuesday. No arrests had been made so far, she added, stating that the police were investigating the matter.
Clarifying the department’s position, Kurbah said the lower terminal site was government property and had been used to establish a temporary camp for preliminary project work.
“The lower terminal point of the project belongs to the government. It is a government property where we have put up a temporary camp,” she said, adding that the department was uncomfortable with the alleged seizure of the site.
Kurbah said the camp was necessary to comply with the environmental and social safeguards prescribed by the New Development Bank, which is supporting the project. Preparatory work includes soil testing, developing an approach road and levelling the ground.
She maintained that construction of the ropeway had not begun and that no digging had been carried out for the six proposed pillars or the terminal.
“There is no construction as such in respect of the ropeway till date. There has not been any digging of the pillars. No digging has been done for the terminal,” she said.
The department’s clarification comes amid objections to the proposed ropeway project, with concerns raised over its environmental impact, public consultation and the protection of local water sources.
Kurbah also outlined the sequence of applications and clearances pursued by the contractor, maintaining that the department had followed the required procedures after awarding the work order.
According to Kurbah, the work order was issued on October 25, 2025. The contractor subsequently obtained a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Dorbar Pyllun on May 4 this year and applied to the district council for a trading licence on May 18.
The contractor also applied for an NOC from the Syiem of Mylliem on July 16 and received a letter from the Syiem on July 28, she said.
On August 27, the district council issued a show-cause notice to the contractor, who subsequently submitted a reply to the concerned authority. An NOC was later received from the Dorbar Myntri of the five and 11 Kur of Raid Laban Hima Mylliem on September 28, Kurbah added.
She said the application for a trading licence remained under process and that the department could not specify when the district council would grant permission.
“That is their prerogative. They have applied in the month of May,” Kurbah said.
Maintaining that the department had followed the prescribed channels, she questioned the action taken at the project site while the application process was still underway.
On October 27, the KHADC ordered the closure of the Shillong Peak ropeway project, citing the contractor’s failure to obtain a trading licence from the council.
KHADC Chief Executive Member Winston Tony Lyngdoh said the council had issued show-cause notices to the company in May and September for carrying out work without a trading licence. The company had assured the council that it would fulfil the requirements within seven to 10 days but had yet to obtain the necessary NOCs, he said.
Lyngdoh said the council would process the application once all the required documents were submitted, warning that the project site could be sealed if the company failed to comply.
He added that the action was intended to ensure that companies operating in the state respected the authority of the district council.