Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Shillong: Meghalaya left Rs 162 crore in tourism funds untouched. This money was meant for infrastructure and community projects. Tourism Minister Timothy D Shira confirmed the stagnation to the Legislative Assembly. The cash sat idle as of July 31, 2026. MLA Gavin Miguel Mylliem pressed the government for answers on how these resources were being managed.
The state has big dreams. It wants to turn Umiam, Sohra, Dawki-Shnongpdeng, and Nokrek into global hotspots. The proposed budgets for these sites are massive. Umiam gets Rs 595.98 crore, while Sohra receives Rs 661.44 crore. Dawki-Shnongpdeng and Nokrek are set for Rs 50.25 crore and Rs 37 crore respectively.
The state is also building convention centres. Plans are set for Nongpoh, Williamnagar, Mairang, Mawkyrwat, Nongstoin, and Khliehriat. These sites are moving toward the tender process. The project in Resubelpara already hit the tender stage. The government has sent proposals to the Centre to secure the necessary funding. Shira noted, "The entire allocation remained unused as of July 31, 2026."
Tourists are flooding in. Meghalaya hosted 18.55 lakh visitors in 2025. That was a jump from 16.08 lakh in 2024. The trend continued into this year. The state recorded 11.15 lakh tourist visits between January and June 2026.
Updated at 29th August 2026 at 1:50am
The disclosure surfaced on the final day of the Assembly's Autumn Session. While officials talk a big game about moving beyond standard sightseeing to hook high-value travelers interested in nature, adventure, and culture, the backlog suggests a bottleneck in getting shovels in the ground. Experts warn this disconnect threatens to stall the momentum needed to turn raw beauty into a professional, world-class tourism economy.
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