Govt blank on second 5-star hotel in city

SHILLONG, Oct 21: Courtyard by Marriott, the second five-star hotel in Shillong after Vivanta Meghalaya is nearing completion, but the state government apparently has no information about the project.
Vivanta Meghalaya, the state’s first five-star hotel, was inaugurated a few days ago after years of delay.
In March-April 2021, a media person filed an RTI with the Urban Affairs Department seeking details about the project. The journalist asked 15 questions about the project.
The journalist received an acknowledgement a year later stating that the RTI application has been forwarded to the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB).
After continuous follow-up, an SMB official on Friday sent a screenshot of the RTI replies via WhatsApp to the journalist concerned.
The SMB said it did not have any information on 13 of the 15 questions asked.
The SMB replied “yes” to a question on whether the plot of land it owns at Jail Road was handed over to HM Cements (the contractor) for the construction of a five-star hotel.
The other question the board answered was on the revenue expected to receive according to the memorandum of understanding between the state government and the Urban Affairs Department. The SMB said Rs 36 lakh was received and the amount due up to August 2018 was Rs 2,25,69,305.
The delay in obtaining a fraction of the information sought through RTI is indicative of the pace at which the state government works.