CM Suvendu Adhikari with civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu in Kolkata
These airports will open up new possibilities for tourism, agriculture and regional connectivity,” said Naidu. “Bengal currently has only four airports, of which three — Kolkata, Bagdogra and Andal — are operational. The fourth airport, in Cooch Behar, needs to be revived. We plan to develop four more airports in two years. These include conversion of Air Force bases at Hashimara in Alipurduar and Kalaikunda in West Midnapore into civil enclaves. The Balurghat airport in South Dinajpur will be revived and an airstrip will be developed in Purulia’s Charra.
Kolkata: In two years, Bengal will have eight operational airports instead of three at present, civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu said at Nabanna on Monday.
The Centre plans to spend Rs 29,000 crore on improving air connectivity in the state over the next decade, Naidu said. “Some 25 acres was needed for Hasimara and 37 acres for Kalaikunda. The state is ready to provide 2,000 acres in Kalyani for a greenfield airport,” said Adhikari.
Because of the failure to provide land, “Not just the airport, several important national highways and railway projects had remained stuck for years. The minister was speaking to reporters after two MoUs were signed between the civil aviation ministry and the state govt for the development of four new airports and implementation of UDAN, the regional airport development and connectivity scheme of the central govt.
He said Army had given its consent for civilian operations at Hasimara and Kalaikunda much earlier, but the erstwhile Trinamool dispensation failed to provide the required land. We have done the needful,” said Adhikari. He also said the Centre’s request for land for a second airport in Kolkata was turned down by then CM Mamata Banerjee. Naidu said the Centre wanted Kolkata to have a second airport to meet the growing demand for air travel.
Adhikari blamed the previous govt for delays in developing the two proposed civil enclaves. But the former state govt did not provide the land. We have cleared the projects. Adhikari also requested the civil aviation minister to further strengthen the Andal airport in Purulia and start flights from Kolkata to major pilgrimage centres such as Ayodhya, Tirupati and Khatu Shyam Ji temple in Rajasthan. He also urged Naidu to revive the Malda airport in the next phase.