The State government has identified a plot of land measuring around 2000 acres at Diengpasoh, off the Guwahati-Jowai highway, for setting up of a greenfield airport.
According to the government, the plot of land is a suitable area for a greenfield airport project.
The greenfield airport has been proposed after the existing airport at Umroi is not suitable for landing of bigger aircraft.
During hearing of a PIL by the division bench of Meghalaya High Court on September 14, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) stated that there are many formalities that need to be complied with before an airport can actually come up.
The AAI said that a preliminary feasibility study has to be undertaken on the land identified for the proposed greenfield airport. According to the AAI, the preliminary study report can be obtained within the next three or four weeks.
Since the State government has identified the land to be appropriate, the High Court said that due consideration must have gone into providing support infrastructure before perceiving the plot to be suitable.
The High Court asked the State government to provide ancillary facilities like the approach road to the airport, the provision for a possible hotel, police station, barracks for the security personnel guarding the airport and other necessities that accompany a modern airport.
The court also cautioned the State government to guard against speculative transaction of land in the nearby areas.
“Immediately after news of the State’s offer to the AAI is published, there will be a beeline to acquire land in or around the area and even attempt to set up huts and shanties in the hope of obtaining undue compensation or of setting up business once the airport project gets underway,” the High Court said.
The court also asked the State government to take every measure possible, in consultation with the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC), to guard against the speculation in land in and around the area which has been identified and also against setting up of any hut or shanty or any other form of encroachment so that the project is not impeded or the expenses for the same should not needlessly increase.
“Immediate aerial photographs by drones should be obtained of the identified area and its surroundings so that bogus claims by subsequent encroachers may be effectively dealt with. The photographs should refer to any well-known newspaper of the day so that the date of the relevant photograph is beyond question,” the High Court said.
While allowing the AAI to indicate its preliminary opinion as to the suitability of the land, the court also asked the State government to facilitate the multi-disciplinary team that AAI may need to bring to the site for the purpose of carrying out the feasibility survey. The next hearing on the matter is scheduled on October 14.
