Guwahati: Parliamentary panel of Rajya Sabha has remarked that slashing of Airport Authority of India's (AAI) budgetary support will hit the airport development programme in Northeast India.
Department related parliamentary standing committee on transport, tourism and culture has in its recently submitted report stated that budgetary support in the form of Grants-in-aid provided to AAI in annual plan 2013-14 is Rs 42 Crore, out of this Rs 32 Crores has been earmarked for the project at Pakyong (Sikkim) in the North Eastern Region and the balance amount of Rs 10 crores for construction of new terminal building including apron at Tirupati airport.
The Committee found that the AAI was allocated a budgetary support of Rs 280 crores for the year 2012-13 while it has been reduced to Rs 42 crores in 2013-14. Out of this, Rs. 32.00 crore is exclusively for development works at airports in Pakyong and Tirupati.
The Committee was informed that AAI's requirement for various projects under Grant-in-Aid Schemes is to the tune of Rs 460.21 crores.
10/05/13 Bikash Singh/Economic Times
