Cluster Development Fund Project inaugurated at Lum Symper
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, June 8: Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh on Saturday accentuated the innate connection between indigenous tribes of Meghalaya and the environment, referring to the same as a relationship akin to that with a mother.
According to a statement here, Lyngdoh said this while addressing a gathering at the inaugural programme for the Cluster Development Fund Project at Lum Symper.
During the programme, Lyngdoh stressed the importance of sustainable development over environmentally destructive practices.
Commending the Raid Saw Symper for its environmental conservation initiatives, Lyngdoh stated, “This day should remind us that if we talk about development, we should see the development that’s sustained. The development that comes through destroying the environment is not development but it is a development that crawls.”
Highlighting Meghalaya’s forest cover of approximately 76 per cent, Lyngdoh, said, “One thing that we should understand is that as indigenous tribes, the first relationship for us is with the environment, and we consider our environment as our mother.”
He urged the community to uphold this mindset, maintaining that true development cannot be achieved without societal cooperation.
Referring to Sohra, he said that such villages were initially dependent on farming and later turned to mining.
Lyngdoh noted that such transitions only provide temporary benefits and increase economic disparities and landlessness.
Advocating tourism as a sustainable alternative that can bridge economic divides without degrading the environment, Lyngdoh called on the youths to recognise their responsibility in preserving the earth for future generations.
It may be mentioned that the tourism minister has also assured the Raid Saw Symper of continued collaboration to enhance and protect the local environment.
Others who were part of the programme include local MLA Ollan Suin, KHADC Deputy CEM PN Syiem, local MDC Alvin K Sawkmie, and officials from the Meghalaya Basin Management Agency (MBMA) and Meghalaya Community-Led Landscape Management Project (MCLLMP), among others.