SHILLONG: While a 70-seater Indigo flight landed at Umroi airport on Saturday marking a new beginning, the Baljek airport in West Garo Hills, inaugurated 10 years ago, will have to clear several obstacles for even a 50-seater aircraft to land.
West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Ram Singh said on Sunday that there was a survey of the area by various concerned departments and it was decided to clear various obstacles so that the aircraft can land.
When PA Sangma was the chairman of Meghalaya State Planning Board, the former president of India President Pratibha Patil had on October 23, 2008 inaugurated the Baljek airport at Jengjal, 33 km from Tura.
A four-seater Cessna and a 19-seater Dornier landed at the airport for the first and the only time.
The airport was constructed at a cost of Rs 12.52 crore but it now houses BSF and the police personnel.
However, since the assets created for the airport lack maintenance, there is damage to roof panels, power house and toilets.
Sources said for renovation of the airport, the government will have to spend crores of rupees.
58 acres of additional land was acquired at a cost of Rs 2.58 crore in 2015 to expand the airport but the work has not started.
It was in 1983 that a proposal was sent to the Centre to construct an airport at Baljek but the project was sanctioned only in 1995.
Earlier, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had criticised the government for not looking after the assets created and also for not acquiring additional land in time for the expansion of the airport.
