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Himachal Pradesh: Kangra airport expansion project set to take off
A draft expansion plan was readied in 2019 but the project got delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic; a team of scientists is now in Kangra to study the runway bridge, assess environmental impact
The expansion of Kangra airport at Gaggal that has long been pending may finally take off as a team of scientists from the Central Water and Power Research Centre (CWPRC) arrived on a three-day visit to study the runway bridge and carry out an environmental impact assessment.
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Kangra deputy commissioner Nipun Jindal, who met the stakeholder agencies and the scientists on Tuesday, said that a decision has been taken to form a district-level committee that will coordinate with the team.
The committee headed by the deputy commissioner will have director, Airport Authority of India, Jal Shakti department Kangra superintending engineer, representatives of the public works department in Dharamshala and Palampur, executive engineers of Jal Shakti and PWD at Shahpur, Kangra and Dharamshala as its members. Besides, the deputy manager of the National Highway Authority of India and district mining officer have also been made members of the committee.
Jindal said the committee will assist the team in making a report mainly on the restoration of water schemes built on Manjhi Khad, maintain their natural flow and give advice on ecological aspects.
It will give suggestions on durable structural construction at the upper and lower ends of the ravine besides guide on the construction of a check dam and the runway bridge.
The panel will give its opinion on making the proposed runway bridge area a completely mining prohibited area and advise the administration and the NHAI on the proposed bridge construction at Manjhi Khad due to the re-alignment of the highway.
Jindal said that apart from this, the PWD will take the services of experts from NIT or IIT at its own level, if necessary.
The existing airstrip of Gaggal airport is 1,370 metres. The expansion plan proposes to increase the runway length to 3,010 metres.
A draft expansion plan was readied in 2019 but the project got delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
At present, Alliance Air operates ATR-72 aircraft to Gaggal, which has a capacity of 75 to 80 seats. However, the number of passengers is kept around 50-55, due to the short runway.
Due to this, the airfares for the Dharamshala-Delhi route are among the highest. A one-way ticket costs around ₹ 6,000 to ₹ 12,000. The prices may go as high as ₹ 21,000 during the peak tourist season.
