Himachal's Gaggal airport to be expanded in 2 phases

Lalit Mohan

Dharamsala, March 5

The Gaggal airport will now be expanded in two phases. Highly placed sources told The Tribune that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) had decided to expand the Gaggal airport from the current length of 1,372 m to 1,900 m in the first phase. In the second phase, the length is proposed to be increased further to 3,110 m. This was decided in a meeting held between officials of the Kangra district administration and the AAI today.

PLANES WILL BE ABLE TO FLY WITH FULL CAPACITY

If the length of the airstrip is expanded by 600 metre, as has been proposed in the first phase, it will help airplanes in taking off and landing at the Gaggal airport with full capacity. Nipun Jindal, DC, Kangra

The sources said that for the first phase of expansion, the AAI would have to construct a bridge over the Manji river that flows through the area. A proposal was mooted at the meeting to either construct a bridge over the Manji for the expansion of the airport or to divert the river. Irrigation and Public Health Department (IPH) officials attending the meeting rejected the possibility of diverting the river. Deliberations were held over the structural strength and design of the bridge to be constructed over the river that could sustain the weight of planes that land at the airport, they added.

Kangra Deputy Commissioner Nipun Jindal said that a proposal had been mooted for the expansion of the Gaggal airport in two phases. If the length of the airstrip was expanded by 600 metres, as had been proposed in the first phase, it would help airplanes in taking off and landing at the airport with full capacity. At present, 70-seater planes landing at the Gaggal airport are allowed to carry 50 passengers, which is responsible for the high airfares, he added.

He said that the expansion of the Gaggal airport was the top priority of the state government and Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur was keenly following the project.

The Union Ministry of Finance has sanctioned Rs 400 crore for the the airport expansion project. Initially, a proposal was mooted for the acquisition of about 144 hectares, including 120 hectares of private parties, for the purpose. However, if the airport is expanded in two phases, less land will be required.

Gaggal residents allege that due to the delay in the expansion of the airport, they have been living in uncertainty. They are not in a position to remodel or expand their houses or business enterprises in the current situation. The government should take early and definite decision on the project, they say.