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| Discrimination is in the air | | Promises for Jammu, night landing at Srinagar airport | | Early Times Report
JAMMU, May 14: In yet another display of ruthless discrimination with the Jammu region of the state, the government on Monday decided to make available the night landing facility at the Srinagar airport while didn't utter a word for such a facility for the airport in Jammu.
On Monday, the government made the announcement amid much fanfare that the introduction of the night landing facility at the Srinagar airport would give a big push to the tourism sector in particular besides further improving the connectivity with other areas of the country and would also help in improving the economy of the State as well.
The high level meeting held in this regard was informed that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has granted necessary permission for operating night flights and the necessary infrastructural upgradation in this regard is being done by the Airport Authority of India and other State agencies.
The government also directed the completion of all these upgradations within a month's time so that the facility is thrown open in view of the tourist season in the Kashmir Valley. Immediate release of Rs. 3.86 crore for meeting the expenses of raising ancillary infrastructural facilities for night hours at the Airport for the convenience of travellers and the staff has also been made.
However, on the contrary, the night landing facility at the airport in Jammu continues to remain a distant dream with even government not deeming it necessary to take any measures in this regard.
Early Times has already reported that the Jammu airport's runway is smaller than the requisite length -by around 2000 feet-making the landing and takeoff difficult -all the times.
Governor NN Vohra had already conveyed to the central government his apprehensions of "avoidable accidents" in the prevalent circumstances. Situated 14-kilometers from the international border between India and Pakistan, the Jammu Airport also known as the Satwari Airport offers no more than "primitive services" to the fliers. Against the need of 8000 feet stretch, the runway built in asphalt is only 6,700 feet long. This deficit creates problems for the flight take off and landing when the pilot has to put in "extra efforts to control the aircraft". Though this airport caters to around nine lakh passengers annually, successive regimes have failed to upgrade it in line with the needs of the times. Observers said the airport neglect affects tourism in the winter capital, which is famous as City of Temples. Jammu dominates pilgrimage tourism in the state. The cave shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi alone attracts over one crore pilgrims annually from far and wide of the country and beyond. But the airport is unable to meet the regional needs.The Airports Authority of India had published data and statistics of the airport between the time period of April 2013 to March 2014. According to this data, the Jammu airport is ranked the 27th busiest airport in India, with a total passenger traffic of 845,555. This was a decrease of 1.9% from 2012-2013. |
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