SHILLONG: The High Court of Meghalaya has pulled up the Airport Authority of India (AAI) for the delay in expansion of Umroi airport.
During the hearing on the matter on Wednesday, the court observed that earlier on December 15, 2015, it had directed that the project of expansion of the civil airport at Umroi be completed within four months and a monitoring committee was also provided to oversee the progress. However, when the period of four months was coming to an end, an application was filed by the director of Shillong Airport seeking more time so that the project can be completed on September 30, 2018.
“After having gone through the contents of the application and the minutes of the monitoring committee, we express serious reservations over the approach of the authorities of AAI, who were attempting to suggest two-and-a-half years’ time to complete the project, contrary to the requirements of the order dated December 15, 2015,” the court said.
The court also observed that at the time of passing the order on December 15, 2015, no submissions were placed before the court by AAI about any impediments in completing the project within the period of four months.
The court said there are inexplicable shortcomings on the part of AAI and only the pretexts were being put forward by it so as not to take the project ahead.
“The insistence of AAI for two years of time was neither accepted by the court nor by the monitoring committee but, with impunity, such proposition was reiterated before the court on December 5, 2016,” the Court said. The court had granted time to AAI to come up with concrete propositions “but even after instructions from the Deputy General Manager, AAI Guwahati, the adamancy on the part of AAI remained that they required two years’ time to complete the project though they will try to execute the work as early as possible”.
The court found sufficient grounds for proceedings against the authorities concerned for defiance and disobedience of the order of the court but the matter being of a public interest, the court still extended yet another opportunity to the officers of AAI to make specific submissions in the matter. At the same time, it had warned that if at all there was a final conclusion that AAI was not willing to expedite the project and was failing in its duties, the court might be compelled to assign the task and project to some other agency.
“We feel that the AAI has only shown disinclination to carry out its responsibilities, even at the cost of defiance of the orders passed by the court. In the given circumstances, we are forced to observe that if AAI continues with its avoidance, the option of handing over the project of expansion of airport at Umroi to a responsible authority / agency / department shall have to be examined, of course, while adopting necessary proceedings against the officers concerned for defiance and disobedience of the orders passed by the court,” the order said.
The matter will be heard again on December 1.
