SHILLONG, OCT 30: Commissioner & Secretary in-charge Tourism R M Kurbah on Friday said filing an FIR is natural in case of intrusion into government property and warned that the government will be constrained to take action if the KHADC fails to remove locks and seals from the Shillong Peak Ropeway camp site at Madan Laban.
“Giving an FIR is natural if there is any intrusion into government property, we have to take action,” Kurbah said, confirming that the department has lodged an FIR after the KHADC enforcement wing sealed the Lower Terminal site on October 27.
“We have written to him (KHADC EC secretary) with action points to be taken from their end which is to remove the locks and seals from the premises of the camp. It is a government asset, so therefore sealing of the Lower Terminal Point cannot be done. It does not belong to any individual party, it is government property, so therefore sealing is uncalled for,” she said.
“The three points which we have mentioned are to remove the locks and seals immediately, to withdraw the seizure which was conducted on 27th October and confirm to us in writing, failing which if action is not taken, the government will be constrained to take necessary action from our end,” Kurbah warned.
She said the seizure was done without following due process.
“I just want to tell you about the latest development. As you are aware, on 27th October there was seizure of the work space of the Ropeway project at Madan Laban by the Inspector of the District Council. Around 10-13 buildings were seized, the camp was seized and locks were put after that exercise,” she said.
“Take for example people who take loans and are defaulters, people who take loans from the Bank and do not repay, they get a notice. How does the law proceed? They have to give notice to the defaulters. Without any notice or anything as per law, they have directly gone and sealed it, plus it is government property,” Kurbah said.
The Commissioner said the work being carried out at the site is only preparatory work which is permissible under the Meghalaya Ropeway Act, 2022 pending trading licence.
“The camp site that we have over there, which was operating to prepare the groundwork of the project, is permissible under the Meghalaya Ropeway Act, 2022, at Section 30, Sub-section 2, where preliminary work can be taken up pending the contractor’s trading licence to be availed or issued by the concerned authority. The work that has been carried out there is nothing to do with the project as such, it is preparatory work which is permissible,” she stated.
On the trading licence issue, Kurbah said, “When people participate in the tender there may be 3-4 of them but at the time they submit the tender they do not yet apply for a trading licence. Only after they get the work order will they go to the District Council to apply for the trading licence. Pending obtaining the Trading Licence, the law allows ground work to level the ground, to construct the Approach Road and other related preparatory works, so all that is permitted by law.”
“The land is government property, so it will not fall under the jurisdiction of the Syiem of Hima Mylliem. It is already government property, but the one who has to take the NOC is the Contractor. He has to take the NOC and as per the direction from the District Council, he has to obtain it from Hima Mylliem. That is not the role of the government, it is the role of the contractor,” she clarified.
She said the contractor had already applied. “The Contractor has applied for the trading licence. In the month of October 2025, he got the work order. On 4th May he got the NOC from the Dorbar Raid Laban, on 18th May he went to the District Council and submitted Form 5, which is the Application Form for the trading licence along with other documents. The process is still ongoing, they are still asking for documents,” Kurbah said.
“If they say why are you working without obtaining a Licence, at least there should have been something in writing or some kind of Notice to him and to us also. He was given a Show Cause Notice and he has already replied in the month of September,” she added.
“This project is 20 percent Raid land, 80 percent is government land and this sealing has also been done on government land. For that point we have filed the FIR,” Kurbah said.
