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| Modernization of all State airports, air connectivity to more areas in offing | | CM, AAI team make cross-J&K on spot visit to inspect airport development projects | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | Mar 20
Jammu & Kashmir is all set to have a massive facelift in civil aviation sector with all airports in the State being modernised and air connectivity extended to some new areas.
On the persuasion of the Chief Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad, the Airport Authority of India (AAI), is working on development of airports in the State on a fast track basis. Apart from building an international airport terminal at Srinagar, the AAI is also building new terminals and extending runways at Leh and Jammu. The extension of runway of Kargil airport and resurfacing and extension of Kishtwar air strip is also in the pipeline.
The Chief Minister with a high level team of AAI, led by its Chairman, Dr. K. Ramalingam, today visited Leh, Kargil, Srinagar and Jammu to review the expansion and development projects of airports, besides flying over Kishtwar to make an aerial survey of the proposed airport.
Minister for Industries and Commerce, Nawang Rigzin Jora, Minister for Youth Services and Sports and Technical Education, Haji Nissar Ali, Executive Director (Planning), AAI, R. C. Chitkara, General Manager (ACCM), AAI, Harpal Singh and Director, Civil Aviation, J&K, S. Katoch also accompanied the Chief minister.
The Chief Minister also took meetings at Leh, Kargil, Srinagar and Jammu with the visiting central team and local officers including army, air force and civil administration and was briefed about the salient features of the expansion projects.
The day-long visit was concluded with a meeting at Jammu in which Chief Secretary, B. R. Kundal, GoC, 9 Corps, Lt. Gen. Vinay Sharma, AOC, J&K, Air Commodore A. K. Prasad, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Anil Goswami, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, Sudhanshu Pandey and other senior officers also participated.
The Chief Minister and Mr. Ramalingam inspected pace of work on the new terminal building at Srinagar airport. The total cost of the project is Rs. 101 crore. The airport will have integrated terminal building for domestic and international passengers. The international flights are scheduled to operate from the airport from this summer and the modernization project will be completed by 31st of May this year. The new look airport will have two aero bridges initially whose number could be increased subsequently. The terminal building will handle 500 domestic and 450 international passengers at a given point. It will be the first airport in the country to have inline baggage X-ray system. The terminal building comprises six sections and is speared over an area of 2 lakh square feet.
The Chief Minister asked the project executing agency, M/S Vij Construction Ltd. to speed up construction and do three shifts of work to meet the deadline of May 31 when the international airport will be inaugurated. Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, Mehboob Iqbal, Director Airport Authority, Srinagar, Rakesh Kalra and senior civil officers were also present.
The modernization of Leh airport is being done at a cost of Rs. 112 crore. The new terminal building is proposed to be an integrated structure to handle domestic and also international flights, if and when these operate from there. The airport will have two aero bridges. The apron work has been completed.
The Kargil airport is in for runway extension from the present 6000 ft length to 7500 ft. Possibilities of a 19-seater civil aircraft service to Kargil soon were also under active consideration.
The length of the runway of Jammu airport is being extended from the existing 6700 ft to 9000 ft. The new terminal building of the airport is estimated to cost over Rs. 100 crore. The meeting held here today discussed the acquisition of land and related matters for the extension of the Jammu airport runway. The need for development and extension of apron and parking bay was also highlighted.
The Chief Minister underscored the need for immediate extension of the Jammu airport runway in the wake of ever increasing pilgrim rush to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi shrine. He said the number of pilgrims visiting the shrine annually had crossed 7 million and given the rate it was increasing every year, the airport must have the capacity to handle the inflow of pilgrims arriving by air.
The Chief Minister and the AAI team made a low fly survey of Kishtwar town where the runway of the half way left airport is being resurfaced and extended.
It may be recalled that on February 12, the Chief Minister had a meeting with the Union Civil Aviation Minister, Praful Patel where besides taking a decision to construct new terminal buildings of Jammu and Leh airports and extend their runways, it was decided to send a AAI team to make an on the spot survey of Kishtwar for having the first airport in the hilly and far-flung area of Jammu division. It was also decided then that J&K government will construct small airport at Surankote in Poonch district.
Earlier on his arrival at Leh and Kargil, the Chief Minister was accorded warm reception by the members of the two autonomous hill development councils.
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