Al Ngullie
Morung Express News
Dimapur | March 10
The Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India, nearly threw out once again the ‘absurdly exorbitant’ Rs. 900 plus crore airport proposed for Kohima district in Nagaland. Sources disclosed tonight that that the secretaries of the Ministry of Civil Aviation met with Nagaland government officials during March 6-7 in New Delhi where the Centre nearly fell short of issuing the pink slip to Chiethu Greenfield Airport. The Central officials later relented after the Nagaland government officials argued their case that the airport was ‘needed’ in the ‘future.’
The near rejection also do not mean that the Centre has relented to approve it – Civil Aviation is still strongly reluctant to accept the State’s proposal for the airport for one simple reason – the almost unheard-of budget that has been estimated to set up the proposed Chiethu airport: Rs.1, 231 crore.
During the meeting, sources said, secretaries of the ministry relented after hearing out the Nagaland officials – but did not accept the proposal either. The ministry only assured to “forward” the proposal, and not recommend, to the Planning Commission of India, chief Secretary of Nagaland, Lalthara (IAS) said today.
Readers may note here that unless the ministry officially recommends the proposal to the Planning Commission of India (which is an In-principle Approval), the project will move no further than the desk. The move of the Civil Aviation ministry may be perceived as an action to stall time.
Chief Secretary Lalthara disclosed tonight that the Ministry met with Nagaland government officials during March 6-7 and they had called the meeting “to reject” the proposal for the airport. The Nagaland officials in the meeting were the General Manager of Nagaland Transport and Resident Commissioner of Delhi. The State officials were told that the Ministry is to reject the proposal, Lalthara disclosed today.
“Aviation ministry called the meeting. They wanted to reject the airport but we strongly argued the case,” Lalthara said. “After that, they said they will forward it to the Planning Commission.” Responding to the remark that ‘forwarding’ is not the same of recommending, Lalthara replied saying that “still, the ministry assured to forward it to the Planning Commission.”
The ministry said that the cost of setting up the airport is too high and economically unfeasible for such a remote region, the chief secretary explained. ‘However, we told them there could be use and purpose for the airport in future such as it being in a strategic location and so on,’ he said.
In a related matter, a highly-place source in the government told The Morung Express earlier on March 7, that the Nagaland government has paid compensation to landowners of the areas in Chiethu, falling under Thiechama under Kohima, on which the airport is envisage to be built.
Lalthara was also queried on this report and he said that the government has paid somewhere around Rs. 8 crore as land compensation.
For the note of readers, three “Greenfield airports” in the North East — Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh), Gangtok (Sikkim) and Kohima (Nagaland) – were proposed in 2006, to the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The cost for the Gangtok Pakyong Airport in Sikkim was projected at Rs. 358.36 crore by the Sikkim government and was swiftly approved by the Airport Authority of India.
Likewise, Itanagar airport in Arunachal Pradesh was estimated of cost Rs. 699.66 crore and was approved by the Centre. Sadly for the ambitious Chiethu Airport, it would take a little more while before it actually takes flight – if it would, at all.
