By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Nov 23: The VPP-led Executive Committee (EC) in the KHADC is considering reviving the Khasi Traditional and Cultural Centre at Jingkieng Kalong near Umiam Lake.
The centre’s construction began in 2017 but was halted after the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) had issued a closure notice on March 24, 2021.
The MSPCB directive followed a PIL filed in 2019, which raised concerns over the proximity of the centre’s septic tank to Umiam Lake. The shutdown applied to all construction activities near the lake, not specifically to the KHADC project.
KHADC Executive Member (EM) Powell Sohkhlet said on Sunday that Executive Member in charge of Council Assets, Pynkhraw Kharjahrin, will soon submit a report to the EC based on an inspection conducted by EMs and MDCs in August.
Sohkhlet added that Chief Executive Member (CEM) Winston Tony Lyngdoh will lead another inspection before the EC finalises plans for renovation. He emphasised that the EC is determined to restore the centre, describing it as an “important asset” of the council.
The earlier inspection uncovered extensive damage across the site.
Several structures, including the restaurant, have deteriorated, with some parts gutted by fire. Guest houses and other buildings stand dilapidated, while the once-promising tourist destination is now engulfed by wild vegetation and frequented by anti-social elements.
Following the inspection, Kharjahrin had expressed disappointment over the project’s long neglect, blaming previous ECs for poor oversight. “It’s painful to see such an important asset lying in ruins. If we had properly managed our properties, the council wouldn’t have been in such a financial mess,” he stated.
He also said that years of alleged mismanagement prevented the KHADC from generating revenue from its own assets, forcing it to depend heavily on external funding.
However, a 2024 High Court judgment offered some relief, ruling that the cultural centre did not violate environmental regulations since it was sanctioned before new rules came into effect—allowing the council to consider resuming construction, subject to updated environmental compliance.
Earlier, a CAG report for the financial year ending March 31, 2019, had flagged serious irregularities in how the KHADC awarded contracts. The report revealed that tenders for the cultural centre and other projects were floated on December 29, 2017, but major lapses occurred in the bidding process.
In the case of the cultural centre, estimated at Rs 7.5 crore, none of the three bidders quoted rates, yet the contract was awarded to M/s Rodeka Enterprise without explanation. So far, Rs 5.87 crore has been spent on the project but the work remains incomplete, the CAG report stated.
Kharjahrin is expected to submit a detailed report to the EC, which will decide whether to invest additional funds, likely running into crores, to revive and complete the abandoned centre.
Once completed, the centre is expected to feature a main hall, restaurant, guest cottages and other tourist-friendly amenities, potentially transforming the scenic area near Umiam Lake into a cultural tourism hotspot.
