Shillong, Oct 30: The Voice of the People Party (VPP) has extended solidarity to residents of Laban Pyllun opposing the Shillong Peak Ropeway Project and slammed the Tourism department for filing an FIR against a KHADC officer.
In a video message on Friday, VPP president Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit said the party “condemns the insensitivity of the government towards the genuine concerns expressed by the resident on the ropeway project.”
“The party feels that it is absurd on the part of the (Tourism) department to file an FIR against the officer of the KHADC,” Basaiawmoit said.
“It would have been more interesting that the department has the courage to file an FIR (against) Executive Committee of the KHADC which is headed by the VPP,” he added, saying the officer was “just performing his duty as an official of the council.”
Asking the department to “do their own homework properly and carefully,” the VPP chief said, “You should know about the management and control of Raid forests and for your information according to the United Khasi-Jaintia Hills District Management and Control of Forest Act 1958, Raid Forests will be looked after by the heads of the Raid under the management of the local administrative heads subject to the Rules to be prescribed by the Executive Committee of the district council.”
Basaiawmoit alleged that all stakeholders—Tourism, Forest departments and representatives of Raid Laban Pyllun— are “in contempt of the Supreme Court for violating its judgment.”
He said the VPP expected the government to listen to locals and scrap the project, “but sadly the government seems to be adamant on the issue.”
“As a party we may be compelled to file a contempt petition against all the departments, especially the Tourism for contempt of court,” he warned.
