AAI waits on govt for Malda airport land

Kolkata: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is yet to receive the 400 acres of land promised by the West Bengal government for the renovation of the Malda airport. According to Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, the AAI had approached the state government in this regard about a year back.
“An MOU along with a plan identifying 400 acres of additional land was sent to the state government on June 5, 2006,” said Patel in a letter addressed to the Information And Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Das Munshi.
"We are still waiting for a response from the state government,” he said in the letter to Das Munshi, in response to a query by him over the renovation of the airport and resumption of service from Malda. The airport has been nonoperational for several years now ever since Vayudoot, the subsidiary of Indian Airlines, became defunct.
An AAI team, which was deputed to examine the airport infrastructure, had submitted a report to Patel stating that it required 400 acres of additional land for the development of the Malda airport and for constructing a new runway.
27/05/07 Kolkata Newsline

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Categories: Airports Mar 2007, New May 2007