Plan to expand Gaggal airport shelved

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, December 15

There is little scope for the expansion of the Gaggal airport in Kangra district. Vice-chairman of the Tourism Development Board Vijai Singh Mankotia stated this at a press conference today. He said about Rs 270 crore was required to acquire land for the expansion of the airport that included uplifting villagers, acquiring their land and resettling them at other places.

The Union Government had asked the state government to spend the entire amount required for the acquisition of land. However, the latter did not have resources to spend such a large amount on land acquisition. So, the move had been shelved, Mankotia said.

He said the Indian Air Force had not moved any formal proposal before the state government for using the Gaggal airport for setting its airbase.

Minister for Urban Development Sudhir Sharma had been lobbying hard for the expansion of the Gaggal airport. It is the only airport in the state which is functioning on a regular basis. Every day, at least two domestic flights land here. The number go up to four in a day during the peak tourist season.

Mankotia said despite the fact that tourism was the main industry of Himachal, the budget of the Tourism Department in the state was abysmally low. It had an annual budget of just about Rs 22 crore. “I had requested Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to increase the budget,” he said.

Mankotia said the department was planning to develop new hill stations in the state. The sites identified include Rajgarh in Sirmaur district, Larot in Rohru, Jatingari in Mandi near Jogindernagar, Bir Billing and Andretta village in Kangra district. When asked as to how the department would develop the new hill stations with a meagre budget of Rs 22 crore, Mankotia said they should get financial aid from Asian Development Bank (ADB).

He said the ADB had sanctioned a loan of Rs 570 crore for the Tourism Department. The funds would be used to develop a convention centre which would accommodate 500 persons near the Bhagsu hotel in McLeodganj, development of Brajeshwari, Jwalamuhki and Chamunda Devi Temple and traditional arts and crafts centre at Nagrota. A sum of Rs 54 crore is being spent from the ADB funds for the development of Chintpurni Temple in Una district.

Mankotia said the department had been sanctioned Rs 100 crore by the Government of India under the Swadesh Darshan Himalayan Circuit Scheme. The amount will be spent for the development of Dal Lake in Dharamsala, Palampur Saurabh Van Vihar, Bir Billing Aero Sports Centre and Bhilai Mata Temple in Chamba.