Despite grant, Gaggal airport expansion remains on paper

Lalit Mohan

Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, March 14

Despite the fact that the state government was patting its back after the 15th Finance Commission recommended Rs 400 crore for the expansion of Gaggal airport, the project still remains on paper. As per the information collected by The Tribune, the amount proposed for the airport expansion might not be enough for even the land acquisition for the project.

In survey reports sent to the state government by the revenue officials of Kangra, about 40-hectare land was required for the expansion. The revenue officials had estimated that about Rs 500 crores might be required for land acquisition as most of the land was commercial and high acquisition rates might have to be paid to the land owners.

After carrying out the survey of the land to be acquired, the state government had written to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to carry out obstruction level survey (OLS) for the project. The obstruction survey was to evaluate the feasibility of airport expansion. It was only after this survey that the AAI would have started the work for preparing the project report for the airport expansion. However, till date the AAI has not carried out the survey.

Kangra Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Prajapati, when asked, admitted that obstruction survey report was being awaited for further progress on airport expansion.

Gaggal airport is the only domestic airport of Himachal that remains operational throughout the year. Air India and SpiceJet ply five flights a day from the airport on the Dharamsala-Delhi and the Dharamsala-Chandigarh routes. However, the airfares from Delhi to Dharamsala and vice versa remain the highest in the country. At times, the one-way air ticket from Dharamsala to Delhi costs between Rs 19,000 and Rs 21,000.

Experts are of the view that the airfares on the Delhi-Dharamsala route remain high as only 70-seater planes can land here due to shorter airstrip. In case the airport was expanded bigger planes would be able to land here that can bring down the airfares.

The expansion of airstrip at Gaggal airport in Kangra district can bring in more tourists to Dharamsala as well as Kullu and Manali regions.