Our Correspondent
Kohima | August 8
Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials today hinted that Chiethu Greenfield Airport is expected to be operationalized by 2021 if everything goes as planned.
Officials from AAI, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) including Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF & CC) are currently in the state capital Kohima. They undertook aerial survey of Chiethu Airport proposed site today.
The survey team comprised of SD Tiwari, Jt. GM (BD), AAI, CHQ, Alkesh Biswas, Jt. GM (Engg-civil)), NER, AAI, CHQ, Indu Sekhar- Jt. GM (Plg), AAI, CHQ, Varun Lau, DGM (Arch), AAI, CHQ, M. Siraj Khan, Jt. GM (ATM-EPD), AAI, CHQ, V.K. Yhome, Jt. GM (CNS), Dimapur AAI, Dr. H. Tynsong, scientist D, MoEF &CC and Manish Thakur, assistant director (Operation) DGCA.
Before departure for undertaking aerial survey to proposed Chiethu Airport along with AAI officials and others here this morning at Assam Rifles helipad, Nagaland’s minister for transport & civil aviation P. Paiwang Konyak told media persons that the earlier survey of Chiethu Airport in 2006 have been nullified.
He said that AAI had done the techno-economics feasibility in 2006. This is the second time they are here to survey the same location. The team will survey what type of plane can be landed, capacity of the area and others.
The minister said that team will examine the feasibility with officials from Transport department. SD Tiwari, Jt. GM (BD), AAI, CHQ said that they will collect the data and submit the survey report. By 2021 it will become operationalized, said Tiwari on being asked when the state can expect to make Chiethu Airport operational. Another AAI official informed that the team would be able to give its report within 10 days after conducting study.
It may be recalled that in 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Government of India approved for developing Chiethu Greenfield Airport under the new Civil Aviation Policy.
Keeping in view of the State capital not having an airport and the overall poor air connectivity in the State and the North East Region, the present chief minister Neiphiu Rio when he was MP Lok Sabha during 2016, requested the GoI to take up the Chiethu Airport as a national project and to undertake development of air services and improvement of air connectivity in the northeastern region as topmost priority.
During 67th Plenary of the North Eastern Council on July 9 this year at Shillong, Rio stated that Kohima, the capital of Nagaland, does not have an airport till date. He stated that the then Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee had desired for development of the Chiethu Greenfield Airport project for Kohima.
Government of Nagaland had acquired around 300 acres of land for this purpose and the AAI have made technical survey and there is a suitability of having a 2500-meter Airstrip at the proposed site and also has the possibility for further expansion in future. e new Civil Aviation Policy.
