24X7 operations at Chandigarh airport from April 10

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 19

Come April, the Chandigarh international airport will become operational 24x7. As the case pertaining to making the airport fully function came up for resumed hearing before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the Bench was told that the airport would commence round-the-clock operations from April 10.

Appearing before the Division Bench of Chief Justice Krishna Murari and Justice Arun Palli, Assistant Solicitor-General of India Chetan Mittal submitted that the work would be over by April 9 and the airport would be opened for 24-hour operations the next day.

He also told the Bench that the work was scheduled to be completed by March 31. However, it was delayed due to weather, Pulwama attack and some other reasons.

Taking a note of the submissions, the Bench fixed the case for March 29 and directed the submission of a fresh status report in the matter. The Bench, during the course of the hearing, was also told that the work of installing the CAT-III instrument landing system would be carried out at the cost cited earlier by the company concerned.

  The Bench was told that an additional 10 per cent was being asked for, but following the intervention of the High Court, it agreed to carry out the work at the original cost. Mittal said the matter was currently before the airport authority and a decision was likely to be taken soon. The Bench was also told that work on installing the CAT-II landing system was expected to be over by March 31.

  The Bench was earlier told that installation of the CAT-III instrument landing system would not entail the closure of the Chandigarh international airport. It was further told that the CAT-III installation work would be carried out without disrupting civil flights. The task would be performed between midnight and 4 am, when there were no flights. The Bench was also told that the work of installing CAT-II at the other end would be completed by March 31.

Work to be over by April 9

Appearing before the Division Bench of Chief Justice Krishna Murari and Justice Arun Palli, Assistant Solicitor-General of India Chetan Mittal submitted that the work would be over by April 9 and the airport would be opened for 24-hour operations the next day.

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