- Abhijit Nath, NET Correspondent, Tripura
Agartala, December 01, 2021 : With an aim to rejuvenate the abandoned Kailashahar Airport in Unakoti district of Tripura, a team of Airport Authority of India (AAI) led by the Director of AAI, Rajesh Kapoor visited Kailashahar airport on Wednesday.
The team held a meeting with district administration to chalk out a plan towards operating the airport. The team members also verified the area of Kailashahar airport.
It is learnt, that runway area as well as terminal ground will be extended to rejuvenate the abandoned airport.
The team further inspected the spaces for the renovation in the southern and northern part of airport. Around 22 families will be rehabilitated.
The former vice-chairperson of Kailashahar Municipal Council Nitish Dey, who welcomed the team along with Unakoti district administration officials said, AAI will take initiatives towards operating the airport shortly. Land acquisition process will commence soon.
He further added, around 22 families living in the northern part of the airport will be rehabilitated.
The Director of AAI said, “Under the instruction of Chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb, they have visited the airport with an aim to make it operational. For this purpose, the team inspected the areas feasible for secured airport along with repairment of airport boundary wall”.
Its worthy to note here that the Vice-President of India, M Venkaiah Naidu on October 6 last during his visit in Agartala expressed his utmost concern over the functioning of Kailashahar airport through helicopter services.
He opined “Efforts are on to make Kailashahar airport operational besides promoting new destination through helicopter services. We need to connect with all the South East Asian Countries. It should become an international destination so that the developmental story gets momentum”.
The Kailashahar airport which lay defunct since 1991 is going to be operational with Helicopter services shortly.
Kailashahar airport, one of the oldest airports came into existence with the small runway in 1950, three years after the formation of East Bengal (East Pakistan).
It was set-up to develop the communication system as most of the parts of Princely state, Tripura remained detached due to partition.
