SHILLONG, FEB 19: Raising serious concerns on Thursday over delays in the proposed Bakjek Airport project, Opposition Trinamool Congress legislator from Dadenggre constituency, Rupa M Marak, questioned the state government’s commitment to operationalise the long-awaited airport within the promised timeline, claiming that “not even an inch of work has started” on the ground despite assurances from the Chief Minister during the MoU signing ceremony.
Expressing scepticism over the April deadline announced earlier, Marak said the ground reality tells a different story. He maintained that despite personal assurances given to him that the airport would be operationalised by April this year, there has been no visible progress at the site. He further pointed out that landowners are yet to receive compensation even six years after land acquisition was completed.
“I don’t think Bakjek Airport will be operationalised soon as promised by Chief Minister himself during the MoU signing ceremony. He promised me personally that it will be operationalised by this year April, in the month of April but not even an inch of work have been started. So I don’t think this is going to be operationalised by April. Beside that the land owners are yet to get the compensation, it has been six year now. After the acquisition of land is done, so I don’t think this is going to start soon,” he said.
Flagging the urgency of improved infrastructure in the Garo Hills region, the TMC MLA stressed that air connectivity is crucial for residents who currently undertake long road journeys to Guwahati to access flights to other parts of the country.
“Connectivity is quite important for Garo Hills because we the people from Garo Hills have to travel a long way to Guwahati for flight journeys and all to other states, to other parts of India so if the Bakjek Airport is operationalised that will serve as the medium through which we can go to several parts of India for different works,” he added.
TMC MLA Rupa Marak Casts Doubt on Bakjek Airport Rollout, Flags Delay in Compensation
