Shillong, Oct 7: The Shillong Airport expansion project has garnered significant support from local villagers during a public hearing held on Tuesday.
While village leaders expressed their full backing for the project, they also raised concerns regarding employment opportunities for the local community.
Speaking to media persons, Director of Shillong Airport Rajeev Ranjan informed that the project will enable the airport to accommodate larger aircraft like the A320, with a runway extension from 1,829 meters to 2,400 meters.
“The runway will be extended by 571 meters to accommodate larger aircraft. The terminal building will be expanded from 5,000 sqm to 10,500 sqm,” he said while adding that the state government is handling land acquisition for the project.
Ranjan also informed that the project is currently in the tendering stage. The project is expected to take around 18 months after work begins.
The airport authority has assured that local people from nearby villages will be given priority for employment opportunities.
“The expansion work will be taken over by the agency and we will ensure that as far as possible the semi-skilled, unskilled are taken from nearby villages and for others, we will ensure according to their qualifications, we will definitely ensure that people from highly skilled and other specialised skills are also given opportunity,” he said.
According to him, almost 70-80 percent people working in the airport are locals.
Asked, Ranjan said, “We will see if passenger’s footfall is 1.5 million per year and it will go to 5-6 then definitely it will increase to three-four times (employment).”
The Director further informed that the airport plans to undertake CSR projects, including a proposal to provide facilities for a blind school.
The airport is working with the education department to divert a drain that is allegedly blocking water to farmers downstream.
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