By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: State Transport Minister AT Mondal has said that the matter relating to payment of compensation to land owners who have given their land for the expansion of the runway at the Shillong Airport has been discussed at a meeting held between village elders and officials of the concerned departments.
Aggrieved over the delay on the part of the Government in releasing the compensation, the land owners had set a deadline of October 15 for release of the compensation and the interest on the same, failing which they had threatened to take back their land which they had given for the Shillong Airport expansion project.
Mondal said the Revenue department and the Ri-Bhoi Deputy Commissioner have been asked to identify the owners of the land of certain plots of land whose owners have not been identified yet. It may be mentioned that the State Government has to pay compensation amounting to Rs 11.44 crore for the land acquired for the expansion of the Shillong Airport.
“We are trying our best to settle the matter at the earliest for the immediate payment of compensation to the land owners,” Mondal added.
The Airport is expected to get the Advance Landing System (ALS) soon as the proposal has been approved by the Airports Authority of India which is awaiting final approval from the Director General of Civil Aviation.