Meghalaya Says Taj Resort Planned at Orchid Umiam, No Permanent Construction on Lumpongdeng

Overview

• Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said Friday the hotel will be built at the existing Orchid Umiam site and the island will see only short-term, removable setups.
• Tourism officials detailed an agreement with Umiam Hotels Pvt Ltd, a special-purpose firm, to upgrade Orchid Lake Resort as Taj Umiam Resort and Spa under the Taj brand.
• The department said a July 2025 ministerial panel set the rule that bars permanent works on Lumpongdeng Island.
• The Green-Tech Foundation kept an indefinite hunger strike at the State Secretariat and cited RTI papers that describe a 36-acre built-up plan with villas and restaurants that they say contradicts the pledge of only temporary structures.
• After videos of tree cutting on the island, district officials filed a police complaint, two people were arrested, and the Forest Department was asked to inspect, while a separate district meeting recorded support from five nearby villages and calls for local hiring.