Editor,
Something precious is being quietly traded away behind glossy press releases and appealing labels such as “eco-tourism.” On 7 April, Meghalaya’s Forest Department discreetly awarded a Rs 23.60-crore EPC contract to E-Factor Experiences Ltd.—a company specializing in wedding and event management—to construct chalet-style resorts, glass skywalks, and even a water-sports arena inside the 29-square-kilometer Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary. Such plans threaten to transform a critical refuge for clouded leopards, Hoolock gibbons, and rufous-necked hornbills into nothing more than a boutique amusement park.
While Meghalaya undeniably needs employment and economic opportunities, livelihoods that destroy our last intact forests are merely short-lived gains. They may appear bright momentarily, but leave behind permanent ecological ruin. Alarmingly, this project has proceeded without a public hearing, a published Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), or clearance from the National Board for Wildlife. Governance now appears conducted by stealth, circumventing crucial environmental laws and democratic accountability.
Adding insult to injury, troubling questions have emerged regarding the source of funds. Initially, speculation pointed to the Meghalaya Environment Protection & Restoration Fund—Rs 1,193 crore accumulated from a 10% “polluter-pays” coal cess following the NGT mining ban. These funds were explicitly collected to rehabilitate rivers corroded by acid mine drainage, not to finance luxurious chalets and adventure parks. Misusing these resources would constitute an egregious betrayal of public trust and ecological responsibility.
Now, even darker suspicions have surfaced involving CAMPA funds. Under the Compensatory Afforestation Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) framework, companies that clear forests elsewhere deposit money specifically to restore degraded forests, reconnect wildlife corridors, and support scientific forest management. Meghalaya has accumulated hundreds of crores in CAMPA funds intended solely for ecological restoration. Imagine the betrayal if these same resources finance concrete cottages, steel-and-glass skywalks, and jet-ski facilities inside Nongkhyllem. Just last month, the Supreme Court strongly rebuked Uttarakhand’s misuse of CAMPA funds on luxury items like iPhones and furniture. Meghalaya must avoid repeating such shameful mistakes.
Unfortunately, this issue represents not an isolated lapse but a disturbing pattern under the current MDA administration. We have seen:
- Illegal rat-hole mining returning unchecked, poisoning rivers and claiming lives.
- Unregulated coke plants proliferating in East Jaintia, blanketing villages with sulphurous smoke.
- The 2024 State Investment Promotion Act undermining environmental safeguards and sidelining traditional land custodians.
These initiatives, promoted under the guise of “development,” systematically dismantle the very ecological foundations essential for lasting prosperity. Each time citizens protest, officials chant the same mantra: “development” and “employment”. But genuine development strengthens ecosystems and communities together; it does not hollow the hills for quick revenue or hedge sanctuaries with theme‑park paraphernalia.
Nongkhyllem does not need a glass sky‑walk to be valuable; its value lies in being wild. The genuine value of Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary lies not in ticket sales or hotel bookings but in its wild integrity—in the hornbills soaring freely above untouched rainforest canopies. Local communities in the surrounding villages have responsibly safeguarded this sanctuary for generations. They deserve improved patrol paths, transparent funding for genuine conservation efforts, and opportunities to establish modest, community-run homestays at the sanctuary’s periphery—not intrusive resorts within its heart.
Let us remember: sanctuaries exist to protect wildlife, not to host water‑skiing or interpretive centers. If Meghalaya’s government truly values ecological integrity, it will withdraw this contract, audit its environmental funds, and recommit CAMPA money to its rightful purpose: planting trees, safeguarding habitat, and nurturing the very wilderness that makes our hills worth protecting.
Therefore, we urgently call for:
- Immediate suspension of the E-Factor contract, pending a thorough independent review with full public disclosure of environmental assessments and funding sources.
- A transparent, publicly accessible audit of all environmental funds, including the Meghalaya Environment Protection & Restoration Fund, coal-cess, and CAMPA accounts.
- A legally binding moratorium on permanent tourism infrastructure within wildlife sanctuaries until independent scientists certify zero ecological harm, and local communities provide informed consent.
If the MDA government truly values “eco-tourism,” let it first respect and protect our precious ecosystems. Tourism should tread softly, following behind conservation—not bulldozers and concrete pillars. The people of Meghalaya cherish our green heritage deeply, and we will defend it vigorously—through legal recourse, democratic action, and sustained public vigilance.
The MDA government still has a chance to choose between genuine stewardship and reckless spectacle. If it chooses the latter, history—and perhaps the courts—will remember Nongkhyllem not as an eco‑tourism “success story” but as the moment we crossed the moral red line between caring for creation and cashing it in.
Khlur Basan
Shillong-5
