Alipurduar: The Assam government has announced that Rupsi airport in Kokrajhar district, which was abandoned by the British in 1945, is set to become operational again from December, bringing cheer in neighbouring Alipurduar and Cooch Behar districts of Bengal.
The airport has been readied under the RCS-UDAN (regional connectivity scheme) of the Centre, said administrative officials in Assam.
“It is ready. Rupsi airport is likely to be functional from December. Initially, the plan is to start flights to Guwahati and Calcutta,” said P. Majumdar, the collector of Kokrajhar, over phone.
Sources in the Airports Authority of India said that to begin with, the Hyderabad-headquartered private airline TruJet would run flights from Rupsi.
“The infrastructure at the airport is ready. It can handle 70 to 72-seater aircraft. All necessary arrangements have been made at the terminal building to cater to the passengers,” said a source in the AAI.
According to the officer, the services would not only be helpful for the people of Assam, but also for the 30 lakh in the neighbouring areas of Bengal and those in southern Bhutan.
As of now, the only functional airport in north Bengal is the one at Bagdogra. The other airport nearby, Pakyong in Sikkim, remains closed most of the time because of weather conditions. Bagdogra airport is over 160km from the district headquarters of Alipurduar and Cooch Behar.
Rupsi, on the other hand, is within a radius of 70km from Cooch Behar and Alipurduar towns and doesn’t suffer the vagaries of nature like Pakyong.
“One has to travel for four-and-a-half hours to reach Bagdogra from these two districts. Rupsi airport can be reached within one-and-a-half-hours,” said Prasenjit Dey, the secretary of the Alipurduar Chamber of Commerce.
The airport, sources said, was used by the British for a decade from 1935 to supply arms, manpower and ammunition to the Allies forces during their fight with the Axis powers.
27/10/19 Anirban Choudhury/Telegraph
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The airport has been readied under the RCS-UDAN (regional connectivity scheme) of the Centre, said administrative officials in Assam.
“It is ready. Rupsi airport is likely to be functional from December. Initially, the plan is to start flights to Guwahati and Calcutta,” said P. Majumdar, the collector of Kokrajhar, over phone.
Sources in the Airports Authority of India said that to begin with, the Hyderabad-headquartered private airline TruJet would run flights from Rupsi.
“The infrastructure at the airport is ready. It can handle 70 to 72-seater aircraft. All necessary arrangements have been made at the terminal building to cater to the passengers,” said a source in the AAI.
According to the officer, the services would not only be helpful for the people of Assam, but also for the 30 lakh in the neighbouring areas of Bengal and those in southern Bhutan.
As of now, the only functional airport in north Bengal is the one at Bagdogra. The other airport nearby, Pakyong in Sikkim, remains closed most of the time because of weather conditions. Bagdogra airport is over 160km from the district headquarters of Alipurduar and Cooch Behar.
Rupsi, on the other hand, is within a radius of 70km from Cooch Behar and Alipurduar towns and doesn’t suffer the vagaries of nature like Pakyong.
“One has to travel for four-and-a-half hours to reach Bagdogra from these two districts. Rupsi airport can be reached within one-and-a-half-hours,” said Prasenjit Dey, the secretary of the Alipurduar Chamber of Commerce.
The airport, sources said, was used by the British for a decade from 1935 to supply arms, manpower and ammunition to the Allies forces during their fight with the Axis powers.
27/10/19 Anirban Choudhury/Telegraph
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