Wait for Ambala Cantonment domestic airport gets longer

Tribune News Service

Nitish Sharma

Ambala, April 3

Even after 40 months, the project of a civil airport in Ambala Cantonment, approved by the Centre government under the Udan 3.0 scheme, has been hanging fire.

In December 2018, the civil airport project was approved, under the Udan 3.0 scheme, but for more than two years the project remained stuck as the land for the project was not finalised. Even two routes, Srinagar and Lucknow, were awarded to an airline by the ministry in 2019. Last year, the district administration and the air force authorities agreed to construct the airport on the defence land in Ambala Cantonment. An amount of Rs 40 crore was also approved by the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation for the construction of the domestic terminal in December last year. A new terminal is to be built right next to the Ambala Air Force Station and the runway of the air force station is to be used for the airport.

Vikram Singh, Deputy Commissioner, Ambala, said, “A civil airport under the Udan scheme was approved by the Centre. A proposal was to be sent by the Chief Executive Officer, Chandigarh Airport International Limited, about the short-term and a long-term operational plan. Officials concerned had visited the site. As soon as the proposal is received, further process will be initiated. We have sent a reminder to the official concerned and will again take up the matter.”

Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij, who had been taking a keen interest in this project, had to take up the matter with the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and seek his intervention due to the project being delayed. Now, the minister said he would meet the Civil Aviation Minister.

Speaking to The Tribune, Anil Vij said, “The land was to be provided by the state and the building was to be constructed by the Civil Aviation Department. The land was decided and an amount of Rs 40 crore was approved by the ministry. It was planned that until the building gets ready, the PWD rest house in Ambala Cantonment will be used where the passengers will check-in, and from there, they will be taken to the Air Force Station in buses to board the aircraft. The officials had also visited the rest house and they agreed. A high-level meeting was also held in this context but we are yet to know the outcome of the meeting. I will meet the Civil Aviation Minister in Delhi soon so that the project can be started at the earliest.”

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