Villagers oppose Kangra airport expansion beyond Manji river

Ashok Raina

Kangra, February 3

A large number of villagers from Ichhi, Sohra, Matour and Gaggal, fearing dislocation due to expansion of Kangra airport, today called on Kangra MLA Pawan Kajal in his office at Matour and demanded that Kangra airport should be expanded only up to Manji river and threatened to launch an agitation if the airport was extended beyond.

Kajal said the protesting villagers alleged that government officials were pressurizing and threatening them with forcible acquisition of their land for the airport expansion. He said that hundreds of families will become homeless with this expansion. He said the protesting villagers have threatened that they will not even hesitate to self immolate if forced by the government to part with their land for airport expansion.

The villagers were led by panchayat pradhans Vijau Chaudhary, Vijay, Sonu, Sanjeev, and Nirmal Singh vehemently said that the expansion of the airstrip beyond Manjhi river was not acceptable under any circumstances. The protesting villagers requested Kajal to raise their demand with the government. Kajal assured the villagers that he would take up the matter with the government during the budget session of the Assembly.

He threatened if the government goes ahead with the expansion beyond Manji river then they too will not feel shy of agitating in support of the villagers.

He suggested that instead of expanding the Kangra airport it would have been better for the government to build an IT park approved by the former Congress government at Gaggal on a priority basis so that the local unemployed youth get job opportunities.

Kajal said that he was with the people on airport issue and any anti-people development will not be tolerated, he added.

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