High Court notes commencement of Shillong Airport expansion

SHILLONG, Nov 3 (The Shillong Times) – The Airport Authority of India (AAI) informed the High Court of Meghalaya that expansion work at Shillong Airport has started, the court said in a status report filed on behalf of the authority.

Court hearing and status report

The court noted that Additional Solicitor General N. Mozika and Additional Advocate General N.D. Chullai submitted a report on actions taken by the respective parties following the court’s order dated Oct 29. The report, presented to the bench of Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice Wanlura Diengdoh, indicated that the expansion works are underway and that the contractor has deployed the required excavators, earth-cutting and earth-moving equipment to widen the runway.

Scope of expansion works

According to the court, the terminal building expansion will extend to the residential colony of AAI staff situated in front of the existing terminal. Demolition of the existing residential building in that colony has already begun. The runway expansion is part of AAI’s master plan, which calls for additional land to accommodate an isolation bay and a runway end safety area (RESA) on the RWY 04 side.

Land acquisition and road connectivity

The state government is required to acquire a total of 22 acres for the project – 6 acres for the isolation bay and 16 acres for the RESA. The report stated that, against the requirement of 16 acres, 17.68 acres have already been acquired. The acquired land also includes space earmarked for an access road along the proposed airport boundary wall, intended to preserve connectivity for neighbouring villages.

The Public Works Department (PWD) is preparing detailed cost estimates for the access-road construction. The report added, "Following the final demarcation of the new boundary wall by AAI, the Department shall undertake the construction of the road along the boundary. The said road will provide connectivity to the neighbouring villages and ensure that existing access routes are preserved."

Next hearing date

The High Court fixed Dec 14 as the next date of hearing to review further progress on the expansion and related land-acquisition matters.