Shillong, May 15: The High Court of Meghalaya wanted the state government to complete handing over of land to Airports Authority of India (AAI) for expansion of Shillong Airport, within a period of two months.
After hearing a PIL, the bench comprising Chief Justice IP Mukerji and Justice W Diengdoh said, “The land should be handed over by the state to the airport authorities not later than two months. If there is any impediment or difficulty in compliance with this direction, the state will bring it to the notice of this court by an application well within the period of two months. If required, we shall appoint a Special Officer or Commissioner to effect the purchase of land from the individual owners by the state, to be handed over to the airport authorities.”
In a separate PIL, the court also wanted to address the issue of stray dogs.
The court directed the state government to form a committee to address the stray dog menace in the state.
The same bench, in its order passed after hearing a PIL, said, “The state government shall take immediate steps not later than four weeks from date to form a committee”
The decision came after lawyer Kaustav Paul, the petitioner-in-person stressed the need of forming the committee for the whole state and not just for Shillong as per rules.
Earlier, the state has extended the accommodation of stray dogs in its shelter for a limited period of time since the Shillong Municipal Board (SMB) did not have adequate facilities to keep them.
The SMB has informed that it is proceeding with the acquisition of land for the purpose of building a further permanent shelter after which the animals in the state shelter would be shifted to the Municipal Board accommodation.
