Now, AAI to fund pending work at Halwara airport

Sanjeev Singh Bariana

Chandigarh, July 29

The Ministry of Civil Aviation will be funding all pending construction work on the Halwara (Ludhiana) International Airport, said Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia in reply to a question by Member of Parliament Ravneet Singh during the ongoing Lok Sabha session.

The Airports Authority of India has shouldered the responsibility of completing work using its funds. — Jyotiraditya Scindia, Civil Aviation Minister

In context of a very slow progress of work at the airport, Ravneet Singh had asked “whether it was a fact that the work on the international airport at Halwara had been stalled”. He had sought the details of funds available and what the government was doing to ensure an early completion of the project.

Scindia, in his reply, said the construction work at the airport was being carried out by the Punjab Government through the Public Works Department (PWD). The contractor stalled the construction work, alleging no payment of bills by the state government. The Ludhiana International Airport Ltd., in its board meeting on July 22, decided that Punjab will foreclose the ongoing works of construction at the site.

With no work going on the terminal building, airport authorities conceded that there will, likely, be no flights before the year-end. There is, however, no clarity on the status of involvement of the party that was handling the contract for executing the project. They have already excavated 2,000 square metre land about two-and-a-half-feet deep. Some construction work has also been carried out, Ravneet Singh said.