Work on Green Field Airport in Arunachal begins next month

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Itanagar, Jan 25 (IANS) A "Green Field Airport" will be constructed in Arunachal Pradesh with an investment of Rs 1,000 crore, work on which is scheduled to begin next month, a top Airport Authority of India (AAI) official said on Saturday.

AAI Regional Executive Director (NER) Sanjeev Jindal said that the first phase of construction for the Green Field Airport in Holongi (near Arunachal Pradesh capital Itanagar) will start from next month and the entire two-phase work will be completed in two-and-a-half years.

"The AAI would spend Rs 620 crore and the state government will facilitate various other infrastructure including electricity, water supply connecting roads taking the total investment for the modern airport to around Rs 1,000 crore," Jindal told IANS.

After the construction of the Holongi airport, Arunachal Pradesh, bordering China, Myanmar and Bhutan, would have three airports as currently Tezu and Pasighat airports are operational.

"Pasighat airport is owned by the civil aviation department of the Arunachal Pradesh government. As the state government has limitations to develop, the AAI would likely be asked to further develop and modernise the Pasighat airport," said Jindal.

The AAI will undertake modernisation work including construction of new terminal buildings at Tezu airport this year to make the airfield a full-fledged airport.

The AAI Regional Executive Director (NER) along with other officials held a meeting in Itanagar with the Civil Aviation, Transport and Tourism Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Nakap Nalo and discussed the construction plan for the Green Field Airport.

Jindal said that in the first phase, the runway (length 2300 metres) of the airport would be constructed compatible for operation of A320 type of aircraft.

"Besides the runway, pavement work, construction of watch tower, perimeter road would also be started by the first week of February and the tenders for the second phase of work for the terminal building and other constructions are likely to be finalised in April. The completion of the new airport project would immensely benefit people of Arunachal Pradesh and boost trade, tourism, education and export from the northeastern state."

The official said that Minister Nalo has assured that the state government would provide all possible help and support to alleviate any problems that could arise in constructing the airport.

Arunachal Pradesh shares a 1,080 km border with China and 520 km and 217 km frontiers with Myanmar and Bhutan respectively.

There are 12 airports now operational in the northeastern region. These include Guwahati, Silchar, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Tezpur (all in Assam), Tezu and Pasighat (Arunachal Pradesh), Agartala (Tripura), Imphal (Manipur), Shillong (Meghalaya), Dimapur (Nagaland) and Lengpui (Mizoram).

--IANS

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