Lok Sabha MP from Shillong seat Ricky A J Syngkon has written to Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu seeking the Centre’s intervention to deal with all issues concerning land acquisition for expansion of Shillong Airport at Umroi and the delay of the expansion plan.
In the letter, Syngkon informed that land measuring around 224 acres was acquired almost 15 years ago for extension of runway for bigger aircraft to land at the cost of prime agricultural land, displacement of hundreds of villagers and loss of livelihood, dismantling of school buildings, houses and churches all for the sake of development.
“The State government has spent crores of rupees for the cost of land acquisition and compensation. However, the project has not taken off which is indeed strange to the people of the State considering the great potential this airport can contribute towards economic uplift of the State especially when one considers Meghalaya as one of the top tourist destinations of both domestic and even foreign tourists. In fact, by now it should have been an airport of international status,” Syngkon pointed out.
The Shillong MP also stated that it appears, that on one hand no in depth feasibility study (prior to land acquisition and compensation) had been undertaken for the same by subject experts, while on the other hand, the State government took a rather bold but unwise decision to go ahead with land acquisition and compensation otherwise this issue would have been resolved by this time.
“To me as a public representative, this is a serious matter that must be taken and looked into with all seriousness and sincerity as it involves loss of public money, loss of property and livelihood of many innocent farmers and causing inconvenience to many people who have to go all the way to Guwahati to travel to others parts of the country and it is a great loss to the State,” he added.
The Shillong MP urged the Civil Aviation Minister to take up this matter of great importance so that this vital airport of the State becomes operational to its optimum capacity.
Syngkon pointed out to a recent news report that appeared in Highland Post that judges and officials of the Meghalaya High Court visited Paro Airport in Bhutan to ascertain the possibility of adopting the same modus operandi being followed in Bhutan in order to facilitate larger and sizeable aircrafts to land and take off in the Shillong Airport.
According to him, the esteemed members from the judiciary with a deep sense of concern to development have taken up the onus of helping the State in developing its only operational airport.
