By Our Special Correspondent
SHILLONG, Feb 14: Located right opposite the 100 Waterfalls, the Monolith Restaurant, built at a cost of Rs 1.39 crore, was formally inaugurated on Wednesday which coincided with Valentine’s Day. The funds for the structure came from the Soil and Water Conservation department while the Meghalayan Age Limited (MAL) provided the furnishings and other requirements.
Welcoming the guests, Secretary of the Dorbar Shnong Mawmluh, Banlam Lyngdoh, said that Mawmluh was fortunate to have the Mawmluh Cement Company Ltd (MCCL) in the 1960s which provided the much-needed livelihoods to the people then.
Now that the MCCL is virtually non-functional, Tourism has become the alternative livelihood provider. “Tourism has not come in a flash here. It is a gradual process and has come about because of the foresight of the Dorbar Shnong and those who have led it from time to time, who have learnt to collaborate with the government agencies,” Lyngdoh stated,while lauding the efforts of the Mawmluh Tourism and Allied Activities Cooperative Society (MTAACS), led by noted tour promoter from Mawmluh, Bansan Lyngdoh, for promoting a sustainable form of tourism that will not erode the cultural values of the people there. He urged the homestay owners too to always uphold the values that people of Mawmluh hold dear.
Director, Soil and Water Conservation department, Ibashisha Rynjah informed the gathering at the inaugural event that the cost for the structure was allocated from the Natural Resource Management Intervention Project of the department. The project is intended to support livelihoods in rural areas. The Monolith Restaurant Project was started in June 2022 and completed in record time because the MTAACS took personal interest and supervised the work.
SDO of Sohra, Saloni Verma, who was also present at the event, said people come to Sohra and Mawmluh for high-end tourism experience. Citing the increase in the number of footfall, Verma said in 2021, about 56,000 tourists visited the area but the numbers went up to 2.12 lakh in 2022. “People come here for an immersive kind of experience and it is important to retain the cleanliness of the place through proper waste management strategies.
Earlier, the Tourism department and Martin Luther Christian University (MLCU), which has been working closely with MTAACS, presented a short skit to demonstrate to the audience what experiential tourism implies. It means sharing the local cultures with tourists; helping them understand their lived experiences; allowing tourists to taste the local cuisines and requesting them not to throw plastic packages and water bottles anywhere but to throw them at designated waste collection points;
Director Tourism CVD Diengdoh, the chief guest, who inaugurated the restaurant, stated that 10 years ago when he was SDO, Sohra, there was not a single hotel but today the number of quality hotels and homestays has burgeoned. “It is no less than a tourism revolution. Today, people come straight to the destination at Sohra or Mawmluh instead of staying in Shillong. Nature has gifted us with beautiful gorges, waterfalls, caves, hills and sacred groves. Sometimes we take things for granted, but tourists know the value of our natural heritage and appreciate it,” Diengdog said, adding that soon another project under the Swadesh Darshan Project would be up and running. This Project would enhance the Meghalayan Age Experience which dates the geological era in the earth’s history.
Diengdoh lauded the MLCU for their awareness programme and ability to communicate the basic principles of tourism to the audience. He also stressed that tour guides should be able to provide experiential tourism by taking tourists on treks and explaining the nature around them. “Mawmluh village will soon be on the global map because of the Meghalayan Age dating from its caves. Our youth should begin to think like entrepreneurs so that they can leverage the tourism facilities in and around this region,” Diengdoh said, adding that the communities should also be able to decide on correct pricing for tourism products.
The school students of Mawmluh area were also present at the function.