Shillong, Aug 27: A delegation from the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) were left dismayed after finding that the Khasi Traditional and Cultural Centre at Jingkieng Kalong, near Umiam, is in a state of utter disarray after construction was abandoned and the place given over the anti-social elements.
The centre was intended to showcase the cultural heritage of the Khasi community but never fulfilled its purpose.
The inspection team, led by Pynkhraw Kharjahrin, Executive Member in charge of Council Assets, found that the construction, which began in 2018 at an estimated cost of Rs 14 crore, had been halted in 2019 and is now in ruins. The project was abandoned following a complaint by the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB).
The centre, comprising a hall with attached rooms, restaurant and around 10 cottages, has been overrun with vegetation. The infrastructure has been severely damaged and some parts of the restaurant have been burnt. The once-promising tourist spot has become a haven for illicit activities.
Kharjahrin expressed concern over the severe damage to the centre, stating that reconstruction will significantly affect the district council’s exchequer. He attributed the project’s failure to the previous Executive Committee’s (EC) inability to follow up after the court verdict on the PIL filed by the MSPCB.
The PIL, related to the construction of infrastructure too close to water bodies, was resolved in 2024, with the court ruling that the infrastructure was already in existence. Kharjahrin criticised the previous EC for wasting the huge project amounting to Rs 14 crore and failing to execute schemes and projects, resulting in the council’s financial instability.
