Meghalaya Cabinet holds first outdoor meeting at Ward’s Lake, clears airport land acquisition

Guwahati: For the first time in Meghalaya’s history, the state Cabinet convened an outdoor meeting at Ward’s Lake on Wednesday, chaired by Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma.

The session lasted nearly four hours and discussed 16 key agenda items.

Speaking to reporters, Sangma said the decision to hold the meeting at Ward’s Lake was both symbolic and timely. “This is the same venue where we hosted the Japanese Arena during the Cherry Blossom Festival, which continued into the Shillong Literary Fest and will extend to other cultural events in the coming weeks,” he said.

“As we approach the Christmas and New Year season, it was appropriate to hold the Cabinet meeting here to experience the festival atmosphere and involve the Cabinet in the celebrations,” he added.

Sangma described the session as a “very special Cabinet meeting,” noting its unique location and extended duration. “The meeting lasted almost four hours,” he said.

One key decision was the approval to purchase land required for a long-pending exchange with defence authorities. This clears the way for the Shillong Airport runway expansion and moves the project into its execution phase.

The Chief Minister explained that the land acquisition is crucial for allowing larger flights to operate from the airport.

The tendering process is already underway, and the Cabinet emphasised consultations with local communities and headmen.

Deputy Chief Minister in charge of Transport, Sniawbhalang Dhar, has been tasked with conducting these consultations to ensure a smooth land exchange and acquisition process.

Sangma said the government is working to reach a practical compromise regarding the land exchange.

He added that the Cabinet’s approval specifically concerns the purchase of the land required for the project.

The Chief Minister also informed that he recently met with officials from the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the Union Civil Aviation Ministry, and the DGCA.

A key meeting scheduled for Friday is expected to resolve pending issues so that the tendering process can proceed.

According to Sangma, the AAI plans to appoint a contractor by the end of this year. Once appointed, the runway extension and associated construction work are expected to take around 15 months, with completion likely by March 2027.

Sangma further acknowledged concerns raised by the DGCA regarding landing areas and other technical matters.

He said these will be addressed in the upcoming meeting, and the state government is actively working to resolve them.