Shillong, April 1: The Green-Tech Foundation on Wednesday said the state government is misleading the people on Luxury Resort & Spa at Umiam Lake.
Full text of the press release below
RESPONSE TO THE PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE GOVERNMENT ON THE LUXURY
RESORT & SPA AT UMIAM LAKE WITH LUMPONGDENG IN PARTICULAR
Green-Tech Foundation, Meghalaya-India today has strongly refuted the press release issued by the State Government of Meghalaya via. the office of the Commissioner & Secretary, Tourism Department pertaining to the Luxury Resort & Spa at Umiam Lake where the government has stated there is information circulating on social media which are misinformed and misleading.
The Foundation in this regard questions as to who is circulating misinformed and misleading information before the public? In their reply, the Foundation states that it is the State Government of Meghalaya via. the office of the Commissioner & Secretary, Tourism Department that is rather misleading and misinforming the public. It is the Minister i/c Tourism Department who himself was not even informed neither aware that Lumpongdeng island is part and parcel of the 66 acres of land that has been handed over to IHCL (Tata Group) for a period of 60 years and subsequently further assigned a SPV to another company known as “Umiam Hotels Private Limited”.
The Foundation criticizes the fact that the Government states that there will be no permanent construction at Lumpongdeng island. It is apt to mention herewith that the Foundation has obtained a RTI reply from the MSPCB where the Consent to Establish (CTE) issued to Umiam Hotels Private Limited mentions that there will be establishments of luxury villas, café, restaurants and other facilities.
The Foundation questions as to how can the project proponents assure that there will be no permanent constructions for the establishment of 5-star aligned luxury villas, café, restaurants and other facilities.
The Tourism Department is yet to issue a reply against our petition filed before it and moreover, time has lapsed for the Department to reply to an RTI filed by the Foundation seeking details of the project.
It is rather the officials of the Tourism Department, Government of Meghalaya who are misleading and misinforming the public for achieving their ulterior motives. Hence, the Foundation stands firm and strongly disapprove the Press Release issued by the State Government of Meghalaya via. the office of the Commissioner & Secretary, Tourism Department and refutes it as being misleading, misinformed and completely a malicious motive to conceal the actual realities associated with the project.
