Airport on Mandi farm land opposed

Shimla, January 30

The CPM has said the airport should not be constructed on fertile land in Balh in Mandi.

“People produce three crops in a year in this area to earn their livelihood. Is it a right decision to use such fertile land for constructing an airport, especially when there’s an alternative available?” said CPM state secretary Onkar Shad. “The project will affect and displace 2,000 families of 12 villages and around 2,000 migrant labourers.”

Shad said the selection of the site was questionable considering there’s a massive scarcity of agricultural land in the state. “There’s only 11 per cent land available for agriculture in the state. It doesn’t make any sense to divert the fertile land for airport construction, especially in the Balh which is known as mini Punjab for its agricultural productivity,” said Shad. —