From Our Special Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Nov 29: Voice of the People Party (VPP) MP, Ricky Andrew J Syngkon on Friday reiterated his demand for the formation of a neutral committee from industry experts such as experienced pilots, aircraft performance engineers and aircraft manufacturers to find a solution to the obstacles hindering the expansion of Umroi Airport.
In a letter to Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, he said the expertise and guidance of such a team will facilitate in exploring modalities to ensure technical feasibility and financial viability of all stakeholders for the airport’s expansion which is long overdue.
“At this crucial juncture, it would be appreciative that AAI and other stakeholders adopt meticulous planning and execution for the expansion of the lone functional airport in Meghalaya,” Syngkon wrote.
He said after taking into considerations the observations made by a judicial team that visited Leh, Port Blair and Paro airports where flight operations are far more challenging than Shillong Airport, the High Court of Meghalaya had stated that it is possible for mid-size aircraft to operate from Shillong Airport.
“…the High Court has further directed the Government of India and the state government to coordinate in expanding the airport which seems to depend on concerted efforts from both the sides,” he said.
According to Syngkon, the present runway and other factors are causing load penalty to aircraft such as ATR-72 and Bombardier Q-400 during take-off from Shillong Airport, thus affecting the commercial viability of airlines.
He said this is an important factor that must be considered while contemplating an expansion of Shillong Airport for bigger aircraft so as to ensure optimality.
At present, the AAI is proposing additional land acquisition of 22 acres for runway extension to facilitate bigger aircraft but this objective was not achieved even after handing over 224 acres to AAI and incurring a substantial amount of money by the state 15 years ago, he said.
“I wish to apprise you that land acquisition is challenging and time consuming in Meghalaya due to the land ownership system. Moreover, there are numerous pending land compensation court cases arising out of the land already acquired for the expansion. In this context, I suggest that a detailed examination of the proposal is necessary to avoid encumbrances,” the MP further wrote in his letter.
No national tag for NEIGRIHMS
NEIGRIHMS has been intended to be a post-graduate medical institution like AIIMS, New Delhi and PGIMER, Chandigarh, but the Centre is not bringing any bill to upgrade its status to Institute of National Importance (INI), Union Minister of State for Health, Prataprao Jadhav told the Parliament on Friday.
Replying to a query from Syngkon if there is a proposal to introduce the ‘Health Institutions of National Importance Bill, 2023’ in the House to declare NEIGRIHMS as an INI, the minister only said the prestigious institute does not have the status.
INI status helps a medical institute to get more autonomy, enabling it to start new courses independently, increase seats, attract more faculty members etc.
The minister also said that the total number of sanctioned posts of faculty, nursing faculty, medical officers, senior and junior resident doctors and nursing cadres in the institute is 1,363.
These posts are filled by the method of direct recruitment or promotion, as per the provisions of the recruitment rules of the respective posts. The number of doctors and nurses who left NEIGRIHMS in the last 10 years is 36 and 53 respectively, the minister further stated.