Stress on connectivity

NEC feels that intra region air connectivity as well as connectivity with the rest of the country needs to be substantially augmented.

As part of efforts to improve air connectivity in the North-East, the government is upgrading 10 airports in the region at an estimated cost of Rs 50 crore. The North Eastern Council has entered into an MoU with the Airports Authority of India for funding of 10 airports in the ratio of 60:40, the government said in a report tabled in Parliament.

Works on seven airports has since been completed and is continuing in three other airports. An amount of Rs 50 crore has been earmarked for ongoing upgradation works of airports in the region in the annual plan during 2007-08.

In addition to the upgradation of existing airports, upgradation of non-operational airports is also proposed to be undertaken during 11th Plan, the report said.

NEC has kept provision in its annual plan for supporting Detailed Project Report preparation and the AAI has been requested to prepared the DPRs for the upgradation of five non-operational airports at Kalashar and Kamlapur in Tripura, Pasighat and Tezu in Arunachal Pradesh and Tura in Meghalaya.

The Planning Commission has granted “in principle” approval to the upgradation of airport at Pasighat and Tezu. However, Planning Commission has directed that the project be implemented by the AAI and be funded through a mix of internal accruals of AAI and gross budgetary support in the ratio of 1:1. This has been conveyed to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the AAI and the NEC, the report said.

The annual plan 2007-08 of NEC has identified connectivity, including air, as one of the priority sectors for the North-East. Intra region air connectivity as well as connectivity with the rest of the country needs to be substentially augmented. There are 12 operational airports in the North-Eastern region.

Meanwhile, Mobile airports may soon be a reality in India as the Czech Republic planning to introduce its latest innovation in the North-Eastern part of the country.

The Czech Republic, located in Central Europe, claims to have expertise in the field and plans to introduce such airports that can be transported in trucks and set up anywhere in 20 minutes in the North-Eastern states like Mizoram and Meghalaya.

“We are interested in the region because the Czechs are all over India but drew a blank in the Northeast,” the Czech Republic Ambassador Hynek Kmonicek said on Friday.

“The Republic provides integrated airport control and monitoring system and mobile airports that can be carried in trucks and set up within 20 minutes.” “We have been in the aviation sector since the beginning of the 20th century. Our skills in portable heliports and mobile airports are recognised world over,” he said. These portable airports, it is learnt, can take aircraft loads of 26-40 tonnes. Czech aviation companies are providing their services in as many as 27 countries.

The Ambassador, Commercial Counselor Vladimir Jenista, and Third Secretary (Commercial) Jitka Znamenackova, are on a visit to the region. They held a meeting with the Chief Minister, other officials from the power and mining department, Neepco and the Airports Authority of India.

Czech expertise in micro hydel projects, airport equipment and food processing were highlighted at the meeting. “This visit would culminate in an action plan to be followed by a team of Czech business people to the region in October this year,” the Ambassador said.

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