Bureaucratic sloth blocks Kargil airport expansion

New Delhi: Lackadaisical attitude of the Civil Aviation Ministry officials have led to an inordinate delay in extension of the 6,000 feet runway at the Kargil airport, proposed to facilitate operation of commercial aircraft.
The proposed expansion of the airstrip by 1,500 feet has been hanging fire since 2010. A special committee appointed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on development of Ladakh had recommended that the Kargil airport be upgraded in two years. The airport is under the jurisdiction of the Defence Ministry, given its strategic importance.
The nonchalance of the Aviation Ministry officials even forced P Chidambaram to write to Aviation Minister Ajit Singh, before assuming charge as the finance minister. In his letter to Singh on May 29, Chidambaram requested him to direct the officials to write to the Defence Ministry and formally ask for extension of the airstrip to start civil operations.
19/08/12 Dalip Singh/Deccan Herald

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

Categories: airports Aug 2012