Umroi Airport dilly dally annoys HC

SHILLONG: The High Court of Meghalaya has taken exception to the undue delay over the completion of expansion work of the Shillong Airport at Umroi.
On Wednesday, the Airports Authority of India, through its Airport Director, Shillong (Umroi) Airport, sought extension of time until September 30, 2018 for completion of the project.
However, the order dated December 15, 2015 passed by the Court had set four months to complete the project.
Stating that some works have been carried out and some have not been executed, the Airport Director has suggested in his application that the work of construction of boundary wall will be completed by January, 2017 by the Public Works Department of the State and added that further time of twenty months would be needed for the work of expansion and construction of runway/extension of apron for parking of aircraft after completion of the boundary wall.
It was also submitted that the Monitoring Committee had met on March 3, 2016 and minutes have been placed on record.
“Having gone through the contents of the application and the minutes of the meeting of the Monitoring Committee dated March 3, 2016, we have expressed serious reservations in the approach on the part of the Airports Authority of India, who has, with impunity attempted to suggest about 2½ years’ time hence for completion of the project, squarely contrary to what was noticed, observed and directed by this Court in the order dated December 15, 2015,” the Court said.
The Court expressed reservations on the very suggestion on the part of the Airports Authority of India that they would purportedly take up the work of expansion of runway only after completion of construction of the boundary wall. “We have also found it quite unacceptable that this is suggested as if the State PWD would need time up to January, 2017 to complete the boundary wall,” the Court said.
According to the Court, it would appear as if the authorities of the Government of Meghalaya are also not keenly pursuing the project and are taking up the execution of the work at their own leisure.
The matter will come up for hearing again on May 12.