AAI faces hurdles for Chandigarh airport modernisation

New Delhi: Airports across India may be going through a modernisation spree, but the Airports Authority of India (AAI) continues to face impediments. One such hurdle comes from the Punjab government which has expressed its inability to acquire 300 acres of land for expansion of Chandigarh Airport. It has asked the AAI to purchase land directly from the farmers if they intend to go ahead with the project.
Senior AAI officials told The Statesman that since the airport would also help Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh, the Punjab government feels it is not wise for them to bear the cost alone.
The AAI has taken up the matter with the civil aviation ministry and asked it to suggest some broad guidelines to tackle such cases. AAI officials also blamed the Centre for its failure to come out with a clear-cut civil aviation policy, which has been hanging fire for years.
Earlier, the Punjab government had provided land for Amritsar and Sahnewal airport projects. The AAI officials said they cannot afford to buy land worth Rs 400 crore and then put in another Rs 300 crore for the project.
21/04/07 Sanjay Singh/The Statesman

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Categories: Airports Apr 2007, New Apr 2007