Expansion of Shillong Airport
SHILLONG: The North Eastern Council (NEC) is unhappy with the efforts of the Meghalaya Government in handing over the land to the Council for the proposed expansion of the runway at the Shillong Airport at Umroi, despite the State Government’s stress on the need to improve connectivity of the landlocked State through upgradation of the Airport.
An NEC source said on Wednesday that the Council had written letters to the Chief Secretary as well as the Chief Minister to speed up the process of handing over the 194 acres which was acquired by the State Government. Till date, the land had not been handed over to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the source added.
“As soon as the land is handed over, the NEC will initiate steps to sanction funds for the expansion of the runway,” the source said.
The present length of the runway which is 6000 feet caters to only ATR aircraft. The Government had acquired land to extend the length of the runway to 7500 feet to allow bigger planes to land and take off from the Airport.
The expansion of the runway has already been delayed since several land owners claimed that they had not received compensation for their land, whereas the State Government claimed that Rs.44.89 crore had already been disbursed among the landowners.
The NEC had recently called for tenders after which Seven Sisters Airline Limited was selected from among the bidders. The company will now operate two ATR 72 planes from June this year, catering to the North Eastern states.
“The company is scared of parking their aircraft here since there is no security wall,” the NEC source said, adding that the company was even interested in constructing a hanger at the Airport provided that the safety of the craft could be ensured.