Meghalaya Dy CM slams VPP for accusing State Govt of not paying compensation to land owners, says Western Bypass project to start by next month

Tynsong who is also in charge of PWD (Roads) said that VPP is attacking the government on the matter without knowing anything

Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister and NPP leader Prestone Tynsong has slammed the Voice of the People Party (VPP) for allegedly accusing the State Government of not promptly paying compensation for the land acquired for road projects under the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).
VPP’s comments come after an NHIDCL official stated that it may terminate the road projects in Meghalaya if it does not receive support from the State Government. The official said that although the NHIDCL has given the government all the funds needed for land acquisition, the official stated that the government has not yet paid compensation to the landowners for the Shillong Western Bypass.

Tynsong who is also in charge of PWD (Roads) said that VPP is attacking the government on the matter without knowing anything.

Talking about challenges, Tynsong said, “The land tenure system in Meghalaya is peculiar and challenging because land does not belong to the government but to the individuals and the clans, the raids and the Himas. Even if we want to get 2 or 3 inches of land, we have to request the landowners. If they are willing, only then we can proceed further. If they say no, nobody can force them.”

As far as Shillong Western Bypass is concerned, he said that the State Government is confident the project will take off by next month.
“According to the agreement between the NHIDCL and the construction company, the latter cannot start the work until NHIDCL hands over 90% of the required land. The government has already handed over 70% of land to the NHIDCL and hopefully will be able to hand over another 20% of land by the end of this month. This progress will pave the way for the construction of the much-anticipated Shillong Western Bypass,” said Tynsong.

He said, “The benefit of the project goes down to the people of the state. The project cost comes to more or less Rs 640 crore for construction. Then, the cost of land acquisition comes to Rs 680 crore. This amount goes to landowners, clans or whoever is entitled to get compensation.”

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