By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Taking the route of delayed projects in the state, the much awaited five-star hotel project in the old premises of the Shillong Municipal Office is all set to be delayed thanks to the five pending court cases which have been filed by shop owners whose premises are located near the boundary wall of the SMB premises.
Despite the glitches, HM Cements is continuing the work for the project which will give a boost to the tourism infrastructure of the State.
An HM Cements official here on Monday said the court cases would affect the pace of the construction work, “but as of now work is proceeding as per schedule”.
The much awaited project hit a major stumbling block after some of the residents in the premises moved the court to save their shops from being demolished.
This is not the first time that a public friendly project has been delayed in the state. Other important projects which are hanging fire include the Shillong airport, Shillong Bye-pass, Guwahati-Shillong four-laning amongst others.
The Government has targeted September, 2012 as the deadline to complete the hotel project.
HM officials also stated that Urban Affairs minister Ampareen Lyngdoh is seized of the matter (court cases) and is giving personal attention to the matter.
The upcoming hotel which is being constructed on 72,000 square feet area of floor area will have around two hundred rooms with state of the art facilities.
HM Cements, which is implementing the project, has tied up with the famous Marriott group of hotels, USA.
Presently construction work is carrying on only in the non-disputed areas of the premises.
Under the project 30,000 square feet of area under construction is reserved for the office of the Shillong Municipal Board while 5000 sq ft feet is earmarked for the parking lot.
It may be mentioned that the estimated budget of the project is approximately Rs 100 crore.