PAC orders probe into Umroi anomalies

SHILLONG: The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the State Assembly has ordered the State Government to conduct an internal inquiry to unearth all the anomalies and discrepancies in the payment of compensation to land owners, whose land was acquired for the expansion of Umroi airport.
The PAC on Tuesday summoned the Chief Secretary and other senior officers of various line departments and issued necessary directives in this connection.
Informing this, the Chairman of the PAC, Paul Lyngdoh said that the   State Government had been directed to submit a report on the findings of its internal inquiry.
The state government has so far disbursed Rs.44,89,00,000 among the landowners.
Earlier, the PAC had asked the Deputy Commissioner, Ri Bhoi, to present the case of one person taking payment for three plots of land acquired for the construction of the airport before the High Court of Meghalaya
Nearly 224.16 acres of land was acquired for expansion of the airport a few years ago and AAI has been allotted land for further expansion.
Expansion of the runway at Umroi Airport was necessitated so it can withstand the heavy load and speed of bigger aircraft.The present 6,000-feet runway that can support an ATR-42 aircraft will be extended to about 8,000 feet to facilitate operation of bigger aircraft like Boeing 737 and Airbus A320.