Kailasahar, Aug 01, 2023, TRIPURATIMES Desk

Kailasahar Aug 01: With an objective to boost air connectivity, a new airport would be coming up in Kailasahar, the headquarters of Unakoti district in Tripura, said Tourism and Transport Minister Sushanta Choudhury.

The Covil Aviation Authority of India has taken up the initiative to renovate the abandoned Kailasahar airport in Unakoti district.

Tuesday, Minister for Transport and Tourism Sushanta Choudhury visited the non-operational airport that was shut down in mid-1990 due to lack of space.

Kailasahar MLA Brijit Sinha, former MLA Mobashwar Ali, secretary Tripura Transport Department Uttam Kumar Chakma, DM Unakoti District Tarit Kanti Chakma, Agartala Airport Director Kailash Chandra Meena, Managing Director TRTC Sajal Biswas, SDM Kailasahar Pradip Sarkar among others accompanied the Minister during the visit.

Later, under the chairmanship of minister Sushanta Choudhury a high-level meeting was held at the conference hall of Unakoti Circuit House in presence of senior officials of the Airport Authority of India.

Choudhury said, “Under the UDAN regional connectivity scheme (RCS), the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has decided to re-open the shut down airports across the country. The program emphasizes the expansion of air communication services at the regional level”.

“The BJP led government in the state under the leadership of chief minister Dr Manik Saha and with the help and support of BJP-led central government, a number of pathbreaking steps have been taken up for overall development of Tripura and its people, especially the rapid expansion of communication system. Holding on to the developmental pace, the people of Tripura will soon be able to enjoy far more advanced air connectivity facilities with the re-opening of Kailasahar airport”, he added.

Choudhury added, “Tripura’s second airport at Kailasahar will come up soon and the central government will also release fund for the same after a Memorandum of Understanding will be signed with the central government to hand over land for the new airport work”.

“In connection with the opening of the airport in Kailashahar, the work will begin in two phases. In the first phase, the airport will be renovated as it is now and a seventeen- or twenty-seater aircraft will be launched. And this flight will operate on the route from Kailashahar to Kolkata and Kolkata to Kailashahar, Kailashahar to Agartala, and Agartala to Kailashahar. If all goes well, it will be started by the end of this year”, he said.

In the second phase, the runway of the airport will be increased by acquiring more space from the common people. Minister Sushant Chowdhury said that the second phase work is time consuming and it will be done gradually.

The minister further hoped that with the renovation and opening of new airport at Kailasahar, the Tourism industry will get a major boost and also employment opportunities will be generated along with economic development of the area and state as a whole.

It could be known that soon after acquiring 700 meters of land in the northern part of the airport and rehabilitating 22 families, the work of lengthening the runway will commence.

Besides, 70 meters of land on the western side of the existing airport will be acquired to build airport authority offices and car parking zone and boundary walls will be constructed.

However, due to Manu River on the south side of the airport, the runway cannot be extended on the south side. As a result of which land will be acquired on the north side of the airport and the work of extending the runway will begin.