Shillong, Sept 5: The Umden Airport Development & Transport Association (UADTA) on Tuesday expressed concern over the delay to start the construction of hospital by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) besides giving job appointments to youths from the affected villages, locating close to Umroi airport in Ri-Bhoi district.

Addressing media persons here, UADTA president, Apborlang Nongran said, the AAI was supposed to build a hospital at Umden-Umsaitprah village near Umroi airport, but there has been delay to start the work till date.

He said that the village had offered a land measuring 8,000 sq ft free of cost to the AAI for the purpose as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Nongran however said that the reason cited by the AAI was due to the inability of the state government to provide the manpower for the proposed hospital till today.

To a question, he said that the land was yet to be handed over to the AAI in view of the alleged failure on the part of Ri-Bhoi deputy commissioner to initiate the process.

“Earlier this year, we have also sought the intervention of Shillong MP, Vincent H Pala and state health minister Roshan Warjri to ensure that construction of the hospital is speeded up,” he said.

According to him, one of the conditions set by the village was to ensure that the hospital should be constructed outside the fencing of the airport.

Meanwhile, the association also urged the state government to take up with the AAI with regards to providing jobs for local youths of the affected villages.

“We appeal to the Transport minister, HDR Lyngdoh to intervene into this matter since so far, only 4 to 5 youths have been given jobs that also on contractual basis. As per the agreement signed with the government, the AAI has agreed to reserve Grade-IV posts for us,” he said.

Association general secretary, Justice Kharbuki said that the people were facing economic hardships since most of their cultivable lands have already been acquired for developing the Umroi airport.

“The compensation for land acquisition was too meager and the land owners could not even think of buying land in other places as a replacement since the price of land has increased after the compensation was paid to them,” he said.

On the other hand, Kharbuki urged the state government to construct alternative road that would link the village before the construction of fencing.

“The village is located between the defence land and the airport. It will be affected once the fencing is constructed as the existing road will be also closed,” he said.

Umden village has around 600 households with a population of around 3,000.