Srinagar to have International Airport by March
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Srinagar, Jan 28: After two years of delay, the up-gradation of Srinagar Airport to international standard will soon be a reality as the deadlock between the airport authorities and the Indian Air Force (IAF) over a vital piece of land is over.
Officials say the new state-of-the-art terminal will be completed in March and the Airport will be renamed as Sheikh Ul Alam (RA) International Airport.
For the airport up-gradation, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) had asked for 14.5 acres of land from the IAF, which occupies thousands of kanals in the area. Sources say for months the IAF delayed the issue and later denied to allot the land.
The land was required for expansion of the Airport terminal building and parking lots. Officials say IAFs denial had badly hit the construction plans of the building. The issue was brought into the notice of Union Water Resources Minister Prof Saif Ud Din Soz who took up the matter with Defence Minister AK Antony.
Some time back Antony gave a go ahead for the land transfer after which civil administration gave directions for speedy completion of the terminal.
The matter has been examined. Air Hqrs has agreed for transfer of 14.5 acres of defence land at Srinagar Airport to AAI and also permit AAI to construct additional taxi track linking civil apron to 13 dumb bells, Antony wrote to Prof Soz.
Prior to this hurdle, work had suffered hiccups leaving the authorities with no option but to set new deadlines.
Last May, Chief Minister had inspected the construction work directed speedy completion of the new complex.
Azad had fixed October 2007 as the deadline. But it was never met. That time the project was already delayed by over a year.
The construction which started in 2004 had to be completed in two years by March 2006.
The Rs 78-crore project sanctioned under the Prime Ministers Reconstruction Plan, sources said, has no financial hurdles.
Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Mehboob Iqbal told GK that the work will now be over by March.