Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Feb 4: Taking cognizance of the unprecedented delay on part of Army in giving possession of the land at Satwari for extension of the Jammu Airport, Governor N N Vohra, has sought intervention of the Defence Minister to ensure early handing over of the land to State Government and Airport Authority of India (AAI).
The Governor has shot a letter to the Defence Minister Manohar Parikar seeking the latter’s urgent intervention to ensure against there being any further delay in handing over the remaining Defence land at Satwari for the extension of Jammu Airport, said a Raj Bhavan spokesperson.
In his letter, the Governor has particularly mentioned that any delay in the completion of the Airport runway expansion may result in avoidable accident, the spokesperson added.
Pertinent to mention that the Army is required to handover 136 kanals and 8 marlas of Defence land at Satwari to the State Government for its eventual transfer to the Airports Authority of India to facilitate the very long pending extension of the existing runway at Jammu Airport, from 6700 feet to 8000 feet towards the river Tawi end.
Even as the State Government has already handed over 138 kanals and 12 marlas of forest land at Sunjwan to the Army in lieu of the Defence land at Satwari, the Army authorities are delaying the handing over on some pretexts. The Army has so far handed over only 20 kanals of Defence land to the State Government/AAI, despite repeated reminders and a series of meetings in this regard, sources said.
The Ministry of Defence had granted formal permission for the expansion of Jammu Airport in 2013 after the then Chief Minister Omar Abdullah personally took up the matter with the Union Government.
Besides spreading out of the runway to make it proper for landing and taking off for all types of aircraft, the Airport expansion project includes modification of Terminal building, which will be expended from three sides for approximate area of 6500 sq meters increasing total area of the Terminal Building to 14500 sq meters with raised Pax capacity from 360 to 720.
For the expansion, the State Government has already accorded sanction to the transfer of Irrigation and Flood Control Department land measuring 58 kanals and 8 marlas on the left side of main Ranbir canal at RD 26465M in village Rakh Raipur for the rehabilitation purpose.
According to the sources, the Army authorities are demanding that before getting the possession of Satwari land and razing of its temporary structures there for runway expansion, the State Government should first raise utilities on the alternate land at Sunjwan. Even as the State Government has kept a budget of Rs 58 cr for the purpose and already released Rs seven crores for raising the structures besides initiation of tendering process for the same by the State PWD, the Army authorities are adamant on not handing over the Satwari land thus delaying much needed expansion of the Airport runway, sources explained.
When contacted, Director Airport Authority of India, Jammu, Suresh Kumar told the Excelsior that getting possession of the land, the work on runway expansion would take at least a year for completion.
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