SHILLONG:
Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh, on June 5, stated that he recently visited Switzerland and the primary objective of his visit was to facilitate the start of the Shillong Ropeway project, which is over Rs 140 crore funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Lyngdoh, while addressing a press conference said, “This is going to be the largest project in North East India, and we are expecting a heavy footfall of tourists and tourism to emerge as the single biggest employment avenue for the people in Meghalaya.”
He cited an example of Sohra, in which previously on an average, a house owner would earn Rs 3000 per month, but now they earn Rs 3000 per room per day.
He explained that the invitation from the Swiss government to travel to the European nation was made with the goal of implementing the ropeway project in accordance with European standards.
“The technology we want to implement is of world class and [Switzerland] has a similar affinity to climatic conditions and topographic features,” he said.
He added that the project would help everyone economically and that it would include facilities like gaming, entertainment, and even the construction of a park. Facilities for people with disabilities will also be implemented. Additionally, the project will be able to accommodate more than 600 people every hour.
“The project should be able to take off by August, we will start the tendering process and by December we should be able to start the ground work and it should take us 2 years to complete it,” he added.