Meghalaya Cabinet approves Shillong Airport expansion

Shillong: The Meghalaya cabinet has agreed in principle to the proposal of both the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and the state transport department to expand the Umroi airport.

Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has said that the survey and the technical report done along with the AAI have come out feasible. He said that the plan needs the approval of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Sangma said that the government now has a reasonable and feasible option in front of them to expand the Shillong Airport.

"It is now very implementable, and we are now on track (to expand the airport)," Sangma told reporters on Wednesday.  He, however, said that this project will take time since extension of the runway has to be done by another 500 meters, which requires so many aspects to be looked into.

When asked what will be the estimated amount to expand the airport, the Chief Minister said that it will not be in the line of chopping off the mountain, which earlier was pegged to cost Rs. 8000 crores.

"We are happy now we will not require any major works like cutting off mountains. Maybe a little  cleaning up has to be done and a bid of land acquisition to expand the runway and create some parking space for aircraft," Sangma said.

The Chief Minister said that these were practical, realistic, and doable steps.

When asked how simple or hard it would be for the government for land acquisition, he said that although this is a concern for any project, he added that this airport expansion is a game changer for Meghalaya.

According to Sangma, everyone should realize how crucial this project is for the state and its tourism sector and what potential this has to change the entire landscape and economy of Meghalaya.

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