Railways have no place in Khasi-Jaintia Hills, with or without the Inner Line Permit (ILP), former Deputy Chief Minister Bindo Lanong has told Highland Post.
Lanong said that there are many high-risk factors that come along with railways, such as the destruction of the environment, influx of migrants and others.
“Think of all the greenery and hills that will have to be demolished and think of all the risk factors that will come and go everyday from other states if railways are allowed,” he said.
Even without the railways, tourists are coming to the state in great numbers and they do so to enjoy the scenic beauty and green hills and Meghalayans should be content and not want to destroy this tranquility with railways.
One of the arguments in favour of rail is that it will bring down prices of foodstuffs and other essential goods that currently have to be transported by truck.
“You have to choose whether you want cheap materials that the railways will bring along with the destruction of Mother Nature or be content with what the state has been blessed with,” Lanong said, adding that a goods train up to Khanapara, just inside Meghalaya in Ri-Bhoi, is tolerable but a train to the heart of a small green hilly state is not.
Garo Hills currently has the only railway line in the state, up to Mendipathar. Plans to bring rail to Ri-Bhoi and then up to Shillong have been opposed consistently by pressure groups over the fears of influx and now a proposal is being studied to take the railway line instead to Khliehriat.
“We have lived without railways for so many decades, so why take the risk and gamble with the security and healthy lives we have been enjoying to date,” Lanong stated.
He also disagreed with the pressure groups that have made the introduction of ILP a condition for their acquiescence to the coming of railways, instead saying that ILP should be unconditional.
Instead of all this focus on trains, the state government should work towards widening roads in Shillong to ease traffic congestion. In this vein, Lanong called for flyovers to help in traffic management, save time for people, improve pedestrian safety and provide more space for emergency vehicles.
