Work for Gaggal airport expansion expedited

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, June 20

The state government has expedited the work for expansion of the Gaggal airport. A meeting was held today between the district administration of Kangra and officials of Airports Authority of India (AAI).

Deputy Commissioner Kangra Rakesh Prajapati said a case was being prepared for acquisition of about 40-hectare land for the expansion of the airport.

A meeting was today held between revenue officials and the AAI officials to finalise the area that was to be acquired for the expansion of the airport. “We will submit the entire project for expansion of the airport to the Tourism and Civil Aviation Department of the state soon for further pursuance”, he said.

Sources here said that the revenue officials have estimated that an amount of about Rs 500 crores might be required to acquire 40 hectares of land for the expansion of the Gaggal airport.

The sources here also said that the AAI had asked the state government to hand over the land to it for the expansion. It means the entire expenditure of the acquisition of the land is to be borne by the state government. Since the state government is already facing financial crunch, it cannot manage Rs 500 crores required from its own coffers.

The sources here said that the state government was planning to submit a case with the Finance Commission for funds required to acquire land for expansion.

Gaggal airport is the busiest domestic airport of the state. It receives four flights a day during peak season. The flights ply between Delhi and Dharamsala. However, the airfares from Delhi to Dharamsala and vice versa remained the highest in the country. At times the one-way air ticket from Dharamsala to Delhi costs between Rs 19,000 and Rs 21,000.

Experts are of the view that the airfares on the Delhi-Dharamsala route remain high as only 70-seat planes can land here due to shorter airstrip. In case the airport was expanded bigger planes would be able to land here that can bring down the airfares.The expansion of the airstrip at Gaggal airport in Kangra district can bring in more tourists to Dharamsala as well as Kullu and Manali regions.

Politicians in the state have also been demanding that the airfares in the state should be subsidized as was done in the northeastern states and Jammu and Kashmir.

There was demand for air connectivity between Chandigarh and Dharamsala. Though the state government has announced heli-taxi from Chandigarh to Shimla, Shimla to Dharamsala and Kullu there was a demand for a direct heli taxi service between Dharamsala and Chandigarh.

Busiest airport in HP

• Gaggal airport is the busiest domestic airport in the state. It receives four flights a day during peak season. 
• At times, one-way airfare from Dharamsala to Delhi goes up to Rs 19,000 to Rs 21,000.
• Experts are of the view that the airfares on the Delhi-Dharamsala route were high as only 70-seat planes can land here due to shorter airstrip. 
• In case the airport was expanded, bigger planes would be able to land bringing down the airfares.