Meghalaya Govt amends Heritage Act to ensure living root bridges are declared world heritage sites

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJune 4, 2025

The state government has decided to strengthen its case to ensure the ‘living root bridges’ are declared as world heritage sites. 

Accordingly, the amendment of the Meghalaya Heritage Act, 2025 was approved by the state Cabinet chaired by the chief minister Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday.

Addressing media persons after the meeting, Sangma said the main purpose of the amendment of the Meghalaya Heritage Act is to incorporate what we called ‘living heritage’. 

“This is being done in line with our submission to the UNESCO for the living root bridges to be declared as world heritage sites and for us to be able to strengthen our case further, we are amending our own Meghalaya Heritage Act to incorporate provisions that would make living heritage like the living root bridges also part of what we also considered as heritage,” he stated. 

Further, Sangma informed that the government has also decided to exempt acquisition of land or possession of the living heritage sites if they are owned by the community and society.

“We have decided in the cabinet that the earlier Heritage Act that had come out there were clauses that required the government to purchase the land or particular property for it to be then declared as a heritage location or to further act on different aspect of this Act. Now we have inserted a clause which says that government may however exempt acquisition of land or possession of the living heritage sites provided the same is vested on the community or society, which means that it is not going to be mandatory for the government to acquire or to have ownership of that as long as it is owned by the community and society,” he added.