Govt asked to take action regarding ‘obstructions in the flight path’
Shillong, May 15: The Meghalaya High Court has directed the state government to hand over the land required for expansion of Shillong Airport to Airports Authority of India (AAI) within two months.
“The land should be handed over by the state to the airport authorities not later than two months from this date,” the court order said after hearing a PIL in this regard on Thursday.
Admitting the challenges, the court asked the government to inform it about any hurdles faced in complying with the directive, well within two months.
“If required, we shall appoint a Special Officer or Commissioner to effect the purchase of land from the individual owners by the state, to be handed over to the airport authorities,” it said.
Citing reasons for the land acquisition not yet complete, the additional advocate general said the process has been initiated and Cabinet approval for the same is likely to happen soon.
Meanwhile, the court also directed the state government to hold consultations on “obstructions in the flight path” at Shillong Airport with Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and do the needful within two months.
DGCA officials earlier held meetings with the airport authorities on some technical matters, including the obstructions in the flight path to the airport, which were required to be removed by the state.
“In this period, the central government shall go ahead with the tender process for building or renovating the infrastructure of the airport to facilitate the above project so that immediately on completion of possession of the land, the work can commence,” the order stated.
Further, the bench has also directed the state and central government to submit their respective action taken reports on July 15. “We express the hope and desire that by 15 July 2025, this project concerning the Shillong Airport will have made a substantial forward march,” it added further.
