A conservation group has locked horns with the Meghalaya government over a proposed luxury resort on an island in a manmade lake at Umiam, about 20 kilometres from the State’s capital, Shillong.
Meghalaya’s Department of Tourism and the Indian Hotels Company Limited inked an agreement less than a year ago to build the ₹330-crore Taj Umiam Luxury Resort and Spa on 66 acres. Land for the project was formally handed over in December 2025.
Objections raised
The project was on course until Green-Tech Foundation (GTF), which specialises in wildlife conservation, waste management, and reforestation, objected to a clause in the agreement that allegedly allows promoters to use 36 acres on Lumpongdeng Island.
The island, sporting coniferous trees, is almost in the middle of Umiam Lake, which was formed in the early 1960s by damming the Umiam River for a hydroelectric project.
