Airport expansion, Una PGI centre in limbo

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, July 18

The work on some major development projects in the lower Himachal areas, including the expansion of the Gaggal airport and the PGI satellite centre in Una, has been progressing at a snail’s pace.

The 15th Finance Commission had recommended Rs 400 crore for the expansion of the airport but the project has remained on the paper. As per information, revenue officials of Kangra had sent a proposal for the acquisition of 40 hectares for the airport expansion last year. However, no communication has been received from the Union Government till now.

A senior revenue official says that things regarding the project will move only after the Union Government accepts the proposal.

Revenue officials of Kangra have stated in a survey report sent to the state government that about 40 hectares are required for the airport expansion and about Rs 500 crore for land acquisition.

After surveying the land, the government has written to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to carry out a survey to evaluate the feasibility of airport expansion. It is only after this survey that the AAI would start the work to prepare the project report.

The Gaggal airport is the only a domestic airport that remains operational throughout the year. Air-India and SpiceJet fly five flights a day from the airport on Dharamsala-Delhi and Dharamsala-Chandigarh routes.

The expansion of the airstrip can bring in more tourists to Dharamsala, Kullu and Manali. A proposal to set up a satellite centre of the PGI in Una was mooted before the 2019 parliamentary elections. Though the state has allotted land for the project, infrastructure for the centre is yet to be created. Union minister Anurag Thakur, at a meeting held recently, had pulled up officials for the tardy progress.

Una DC Raghav Sharma said the consultant for the PGI satellite centre project had been appointed. The architect for designing the building had also been appointed and he was likely to submit designs in the next six to seven months and, after that, the construction could start, he added.

He said the PGI had put forth its water requirement of 1 million litres per day for the satellite centre. Borewells had been provided to meet the water requirement, he said.

The bottleneck

• The 15th Finance Commission recommended Rs400 crore for the expansion of the Gaggal airport
• Revenue officials of Kangra had sent a proposal for the acquisition of 40 hectares for the airport expansion last year
• However, no communication was received from the Union Govt

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