The Meghalaya Assembly on Wednesday reviewed a range of issues, including the proposed expansion of Baljek Airport, declining forest cover, maternal and child health, employment at Shillong Technology Park, artificial intelligence infrastructure, tourism and industrial investment.
Deputy Chief Minister in-charge of Transport Sniawbhalang Dhar said the Airports Authority of India was preparing a revised master plan for the expansion of Baljek Airport in Tura. A LiDAR survey and feasibility assessment would determine the technical viability and land requirement for the proposed expansion.
Dhar said the expansion was intended to facilitate operations by ATR-72/Q400 and A320-category aircraft. The State government had also signed an operations and maintenance memorandum of understanding with AAI and was pursuing the takeover, development and operation of the airport on an “as-is-where-is” basis. The government would initiate land acquisition after AAI finalised the master plan.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma informed the House that Meghalaya’s forest cover had declined by 325 square kilometres between 2009 and 2023. He said the government was implementing plantation programmes through the State Plan, CAMPA, the Meghalaya Environmental Protection and Restoration Fund and the Meghalaya Mining and Mineral Restoration Fund.
For 2026-27, the government had proposed afforestation across 3,065.09 hectares at an estimated cost of Rs 8.66 crore, along with 20 km of avenue plantation costing about Rs 1.09 crore.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Wailadmiki Shylla said the State recorded 106 maternal deaths in 2025-26, compared with 135 in 2024-25. The infant mortality rate also fell from 25 to 23, while neonatal mortality declined from 11 to 10 and under-five mortality from 29 to 27.
Shylla said the government had implemented measures including the Chief Minister Safe Motherhood Scheme, capacity-building programmes for health workers and strengthening community health centres as first referral units. The State had provided Rs 18.17 crore under the scheme since 2022-23.
The Assembly was also informed that Shillong Technology Park Phase I had generated 1,454 jobs for local youth, including 772 positions held by women. The facility was fully occupied and housed several companies and technology-related organisations.
Conrad Sangma further said the government was planning an Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence at Shillong Technology Park Phase II at an estimated cost of Rs 20 crore. The proposed centre would focus on sectors including agriculture, education, healthcare, tourism, music, entertainment, creative industries and IT/ITES.
The Meghalaya Information Technology Society would implement the project in partnership with Nasscom, subject to final approval from the IndiaAI Mission. The State had 2,742 mobile towers as of August 1, while total tele-density stood at 88.11 per cent.
Tourism Minister Timothy D Shira said eight additional five-star hotel projects had been proposed at Shillong, Umiam, Sohra, New Shillong and Tura. Meghalaya currently had two operational five-star hotels, both in Shillong.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma defended the government’s policy of attracting outside investment, saying industrial growth was essential for job creation. On the proposed Shree Cement project, he said investment could not come at the cost of legal, environmental or social safeguards.
Sangma said the government had constituted a fact-finding committee to examine concerns surrounding the public hearing for the project in East Jaintia Hills. He said the government would examine the issues raised by the public and follow existing rules and procedures.
The issue was among the demands raised by the Khasi Students’ Union, which was scheduled to meet the State government on Wednesday evening. The talks followed violence during a KSU motorcycle rally in Shillong on August 19, after which several senior KSU leaders were arrested.
