Chandigarh, July 24
The Punjab government is all set to sign an MoU with the airport authority of India to set up an international airport at Mohali. Led by union civil aviation secretary Ashok Chawla, a team of senior officers of the AAI will come here on July 26.
Accompanied by state chief secretary Ramesh Inder Singh, the team members will visit the proposed sites for the setting up of airports at Mohali, Sahnewal and Halwara and review the project regarding the ongoing expansion of Raja Sansi airport at Amritsar.
Chawla will hold a meeting with Ramesh Inder Singh and other officers concerned of the state government. He is also expected to call on Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. “We are ready with the draft of the MoU. It will be discussed with Chawla before signing it at the appropriate level”, said Ramesh Inder Singh while talking to The Tribune here today.
About 300 acres will be required to set up the airport at Mohali. “We will provide the land to the AAI for setting up the airport”, said Ramesh Inder Singh. Asked whether the union territory of Chandigarh would also be a partner in the airport, Ramesh Inder Singh said the UT administration was given an offer to be a partner, but there was no response yet.
“However, our offer to the UT administration stands”, he added. In fact, Punjab had asked the Haryana and Himachal Pradesh governments to be partners in the Mohali airport project.
The state government would set up a special purpose vehicle to acquire land and handle other related matters in the case of the Mohali project. As land was costly in the Mohali region, the state government will have pay about Rs 600 crore to acquire the land.
