Arunachal Pradesh Government today clarified that it has no role in selection of the site for the proposed Greenfield Airport as it is the discretion of the Union Civil Aviation Ministry and the Airport Authority of India (AAI).
The clarification came in response to the 12-hour capital bandh called by the Banderdewa Circle Intellectual Forum (BCIF) today in protest against shifting of the site from Karsingsa to Holongi.
The Civil Aviation Ministry and the AAI had first selected the Karsingsa site, the foundation stone of which was laid in 2008 under the PM’s package. A detailed project report was submitted to the ministry and technical clearances from various agencies were obtained, State Civil Aviation Commissioner Tape Bagra said in a statement today.
Later, a committee of the Ministry, AAI, Director General of Civil Aviation and Planning Commission technical members visited the two sites and submitted their report to the PMO with the recommendation to finalise Holongi instead of Banderdewa as the final site from technical and safety point of view, Bagra said in the statement.
As Arunachal Pradesh does not have any airport, “there is an urgent need to expedite the construction of the Greenfield Airport for the larger interest of the people of this landlocked state,” the statement said.