Shillong, Oct 28: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma had in September 2022 assured the Assembly that Umroi airport will be renamed after BB Lyngdoh and Baljek airport after Captain Williamson A Sangma.
The chief minister on Tuesday (Oct 27) made the same announcement regarding the change of name of Umroi Airport after inaugurating the Brington Buhai Lyngdoh Memorial Hall at Elaka Laitlyngkot on the occasion of the 23rd death anniversary of (L) BB. Lyngdoh.
What the CM said on September 15, 2022
In reply to a pending motion on policy & programme on the completion of 50 years of Meghalaya, Chief Minister said, “The Umroi airport will be named after former Chief Minister, BB Lyngdoh, while Baljek airport will be renamed after the first chief minister of the state, Captain Williamson A Sangma. This proposal is in the pipeline, and the government will soon come up with a notification”.
Conrad suggested the formation of a society to write books and document the stories and principles of great state leadersuukuuki
In his address, the chief minister said, “There is a need to create a foundation or society to write books and document the stories and principles of great leaders like Late B.B. Lyngdoh to share with youngsters”.
He expressed pleasure and honour to inaugurate the Memorial Hall said the inauguration of the B. B. Lyngdoh Memorial Hall at Laitlyngkot creates a permanent institution dedicated to preserving the contribution of a leader closely associated with Meghalaya’s journey towards Statehood, democratic development and institution-building. “The location gives the programme particular significance, Laitlyngkot being the birthplace of Late B B Lyngdoh and the starting point of a public journey that later became closely connected with the formation and development of Meghalaya,” he said and added that the date also carries historical significance as B B Lyngdoh passed away on October 27 2003, and the Memorial Hall is being inaugurated on 27 October 2026, twenty-three years later.
On Late B B Lyngdoh as a leader the chief minister said a leader is not born as a leader. “Leadership is about how you respond to circumstances and continuing to fight despite challenges. Late B.B. Lyngdoh is a perfect example of that,” he said. Stating that Late B B Lyngdoh was born here in Laitlyngkot without any privileges but he fought his way forward. “At every step – in school, in college, in law college in Kolkata – he took up challenges and kept climbing. He did not allow circumstances to stop him and the same spirit was seen in his political life keeping coalitions together, bringing consensus among people displaying a true mark of leadership,” he added.
The chief minister said that both Late B.B. Lyngdoh and Late P.A. Sangma hailed from humble backgrounds starting their careers as teachers and then lawyers and added, “Both were contemporaries and friends and despite political challenges they always respected each other.”
The chief minister suggested creating a foundation or society to write books and document the stories and principles of great leaders like Late B.B. Lyngdoh to share with youngsters. He announced financial Support of Rs. 10 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Special Grant for the B.B. Lyngdoh Memorial Committee.
He informed that the hall will be completed in coordination with the local MLA and local leaders and will support it through the Chief Minister’s Development Fund, Arts and Culture Department and Youth Affairs Department. He further suggested converting the hall into an experience centre and mini-museum, with photographs and sculptures depicting the history of Late B.B. Lyngdoh. “Relevant records, speeches, photographs and publications should be identified, authenticated and preserved in coordination with the family, community and appropriate institutions,” he said. He also informed the gathering of renaming of the Umroi Airport after Late B.B. Lyngdoh.
He added that the BB. Lyngdoh Memorial Hall will provide a permanent space for preserving the life, work and public contribution of BB Lyngdoh, while also documenting an important period in Meghalaya’s journey towards Statehood and institutional development. “Educational institutions should be encouraged to use the Hall for programmes on Meghalaya’s Statehood Movement, democratic development and public leadership and said that the hall should remain a place where the contribution of the past informs public understanding and community participation in the future.
