ITANAGAR, March 25: Arunachal Pradesh Minister Balo Raja has emphasised the need for early completion of the permanent terminal building at Donyi Polo airport in Hollongi near here.
Raja, who met Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu in New Delhi on Monday, discussed pressing issues related to the state’s aviation infrastructure and services.
Despite being inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 19, 2022, the airport continues to operate from a temporary terminal, the minister pointed out.
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Raja said the officials concerned assured that the new terminal building would be completed and made operational by June this year.
He also stressed the need for improved flight connectivity and requested the central minister to take steps for daily morning and evening flights between Itanagar and Delhi, an official statement said here on Tuesday.
Raja, the state aviation minister, also raised concerns about excessively high airfare rates.
Naidu assured that new flight routes to the southern regions would be introduced alongside the inauguration of the new terminal.
Regarding high airfare rates, he mentioned that Union Minister Kiren Rijiju had raised the concern in a recent cabinet meeting, and Prime Minister Modi’s intervention had been sought.
The discussion further included infrastructure and security matters at airports.
Raja requested the inclusion of an aero-bridge in Arunachal Pradesh’s master plan up to 2047, to which Naidu directed the Member (Planning) to ensure its incorporation.
He also urged the early construction of bachelor barracks and the deployment of CISF personnel at the airport.
Currently, state police personnel are providing security due to the lack of CISF deployment.
The absence of accommodation facilities forces them to travel 25 km from the state capital, Raja pointed out.
In response, Naidu directed the AAI to expedite the construction of barracks and facilitate CISF deployment.
During the discussion, Raja highlighted the challenges at Tezu Airport in Lohit district of the northeastern state.
Due to the absence of an instrument landing system (ILS), frequent flight cancellations have affected passenger reliability and connectivity in the eastern region of the state, he said.
Raja urged the minister for early installation of ILS and proposed an extension of the runway to accommodate larger aircraft such as the Airbus A320.
Naidu, however, agreed to look into these concerns.
Raja also discussed the construction of new advanced landing grounds (ALGs) at Richi near Daporijo and Tarmoba (Kombo) near Aalo, saying that the Ministry of Civil Aviation had deputed teams in 2020 and 2021 for site inspections, and preliminary findings suggest that unidirectional VFR operations for DO-228 aircraft are feasible.
He urged Naidu to expedite the obstacle limitation surfaces (OLS) survey and feasibility studies.
He also raised the development of ALGs at Dirang (Zimthung) and the reactivation of the old ALG at Anini (Alinye).
“Both sites are found suitable for small fixed-wing aircraft after inspections by the ministry, AAI, IAF, NITI Aayog, DGCA, and BCAS. The defence minister had also approved their development under a dual-use provision,” Raja said.
The central minister was requested to consider heliports at Koloriang, Anini, Tawang, Deomali, Seppa, and Nacho under the Regional Connectivity Sscheme -UDAN to enhance helicopter connectivity.
Naidu responded that the government is planning to develop heliports in all district headquarters and important administrative centres in the northeast and requested a comprehensive proposal from Arunachal Pradesh.
During the meeting, Naidu said that Arunachal Pradesh is set to host the third North East Aviation Summit in Itanagar on September 5 this year, in collaboration with FICCI.
Raja, along with state BJP president Kaling Moyong and a delegation from Pasighat Municipal Council, met Union Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar to request the early approval of a proposal for developing Guminnagar under the 15th Finance Commission grants for the incubation of eight new cities.
Khattar assured them that the proposal would be prioritised and pledged full support for modernising cities and towns in the state.
Later, Raja and his delegation met Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in the presence of Kiren Rijiju.
Shekhawat told them that efforts are underway to establish Mechukha as an ‘adventure tourism hub’ and Tawang as a ‘premier tourism destination’ in India, the statement added. (PTI)
