Meghalaya Drops Island From Taj Umiam Project, Keeps Mainland Resort Plan

Overview

• The Tourism Department issued a letter excluding the 36-acre Lumpongdeng Island from the February 25 concession and said the agreement will be amended.
• The Taj Umiam resort will proceed at the existing Orchid Lake Resort site on the mainland, not on the island.
• The change followed talks with the Synjuk Ki Rangbah Shnong after sustained protests that included a 12-day hunger strike by the Green-Tech Foundation.
• Officials say the project must secure Pollution Control Board clearances called Consent to Establish and Consent to Operate, with ongoing checks that can shut operations for violations.
• The original plan leased about 66 acres to Umiam Hotels Pvt. Ltd. for an IHCL–Taj resort, and the government continues to cite local jobs and direct buying from farmers and fishers as benefits.