The Ri-Bhoi District Administration has cleared the hurdles regarding the handover of additional land for the expansion of Shillong Airport. Many landowners who sold their property to the authorities for the project have vacated the area near the airport, and the authorities have subsequently demolished the existing structures. Earlier, the High Court of Meghalaya ordered the Ri-Bhoi Deputy Commissioner to complete the direct purchase of 11.75 acres of private land on or before January 10, 2026.
The Court further directed the Transport department to hand over the land to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) by January 31. “Now we will hand over the land to the Transport department after which they will hand over the land to AAI,” said Ri-Bhoi Deputy Commissioner, Abhilash Baranwal.
It is worth noting that the state government has set a deadline to complete the Shillong Airport expansion by 2027 to facilitate the operation of larger aircraft. Currently, eight bidders have responded to the tender for the expansion work. While the financial bids have been opened, the final bidder is yet to be selected as the offers are currently being cross-verified.
