Gaya airport expansion plan in limbo

Gaya: The plan for the expansion of the Gaya Airport runway to accommodate AB-320 and B-737 category of planes is in limbo as the stalemate continues on land availability for the execution of the expansion plan. About 100 acres of additional land is required for runway expansion.
As of now, the Gaya Airport is spread over an area of 971 acres. Built during World War II for military purposes, the airport was subsequently handed over to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for civil aviation use.
While conceding that land has yet not been made available for runway expansion, airport director Prabhu Dev said that negotiations were continuing with the state government on the land issue.
For the last more than six years, the state government and the AAI are engaged in a battle of wits with no side willing to blink first.
Though officials are not willing to be quoted on the details of the unresolved issues between the state government and the AAI, sources say that whereas the AAI wants land free or at a token price, the state government has hiked the supply price to Rs 13 crore for the 100 acres of land.
11/04/08 Abdul Qadir/Times of India

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: Airports Apr 2008