Meghalaya police reopen Shillong Peak ropeway site after council seal

Guwahati: Meghalaya Police, together with magistrates, reopened the lower terminal premises of the Shillong Peak Ropeway Project at Madan Laban on Wednesday, November 4, after removing locks that the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) had placed on October 27. Security personnel were posted at the site to deter any untoward incident and to maintain order during the reopening.

Police action

The police team cleared the entrance gate and the office of KEC-TCL (JV), the joint-venture company executing the ropeway project, thereby ending the council’s closure of the premises. Northeast Now reported that the police intervention came after the state government instructed the council to undo the closure. By unlocking the gates and restoring access, the police restored the functionality of the lower terminal, which serves as the starting point for the ropeway that climbs Shillong Peak.

Council’s sealing

KHADC, headed by Chief Executive Member Winston Tony Lyngdoh, had sealed the site on the basis that the executing company was operating without a mandatory trading licence issued by the district council. The council cited the United Khasi-Jaintia Hills District (Trading by Non-Tribals) Regulation, 1954, to justify its action, alleging the company’s failure to obtain the required licence. The regulation, which governs commercial activities by non-tribal entities in the district, was invoked by the council as the legal basis for sealing the premises and for seizing materials from the project site.

State government directive

The Tourism Department of the state government sent a letter dated October 30 directing KHADC to remove the locks and seals, return the seized materials, and revoke its closure order. The letter explicitly instructed the council to undo the sealing and to allow the ropeway project to continue without further obstruction. The council did not comply with the instruction, prompting the police to step in and reopen the site. The Tourism Department’s involvement underscores the project’s importance to the state’s tourism strategy, as the ropeway is a government-owned initiative aimed at boosting visitor access to Shillong Peak.

Ongoing dispute

The incident has highlighted a disagreement between the state government and the autonomous district council over regulatory authority. According to Northeast Now, the Tourism Department also approached the police seeking action against a KHADC inspector for sealing the government-owned project site without authorisation. The request for action indicates that the state government views the council’s sealing as exceeding its jurisdiction. While the reopening restores access to the ropeway’s lower terminal, the broader regulatory dispute between the state government and KHADC remains unresolved, with both sides asserting their respective powers under the district’s trading regulations and state-level tourism policies.