New Delhi: Huge budgetary cuts and diversion of allocated funds are likely to have an adverse impact on development of the Northeastern region’s first greenfield airport at Pakyong, in Sikkim as a portion of the funds have been diverted for construction of the Tirupati Airport.
The Pakyong Airport, envisaged to put the tourist destination State of Sikkim on the civil aviation map of the country, suffered the first jolt when the budgetary support to the Airport Authority of India (AAI) for the Pakyong project was slashed to Rs 42 crore from Rs 280 crore sanctioned in 2012-2013.
Next came the news that the AAI has diverted Rs 10 crore for development of the Tirupati Airport, leaving only Rs 32 crore for the Pakyong Airport.
The AAI had projected a requirement of Rs 460.21 crore for various projects under the grants-in-aid scheme, but the Centre slashed it drastically.
05/05/13 Assam Tribune
