Meghalaya Legislative Assembly Committee Grills State Tourism Department

Staff Correspondent

Shillong: The Meghalaya Legislative Assembly constituted panel asked officials of the State Department of Tourism some rather blunt questions. Firstly, questions were thrown on the incomplete Crowborough Hotel in Shillong. It is more than 22 years since it’s construction kick-started and yet it remains incomplete.

While the officials gave thorough explanations related to legal tangles and the out of court settlement that was arrived at, questions were raised on how the new lessee could not complete the execution of the work within the stipulated period. “They could not give an appropriate answer and we have asked them to provide the status report by ten days”, stated the member of the committee, HM Shangplaing during an interaction with newspersons.

The lessee is said to be Leslee Shylla. Terming the entire execution of the work as a waste of public money, the committee members were assured that it will be completed by 2020. Notwithstanding the records in place, the members felt that everything related to the deal should be furnished in 10 days time in order to allow the panel to examine it. .

Moreover, the Department of Tourism’s venture of having a nine-hole golf ground in Pongtung Village was seriously questioned. The golf course located in the southern slopes of East Khasi Hills is just 30 kilometers from the Indo- Bangladesh border. The Government share was Rs 2.36 crore to develop the site. The golf course has been developed and not a single golfer has teed in that place. The Assembly panel termed it as a waste of public money.

Moreover, the Department of Tourism sees the golf drive away in Sohra (Cherrapunjee) as another waste of public money. government departments and the projects are undertaken by them.

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