CM on plot for Bagdogra

AVIJIT SINHA, TT, Siliguri, June 19: Mamata Banerjee today instructed the Darjeeling district administration to see that the land required to install night landing facility at Bagdogra airport was handed over to the Airports Authority of India at the earliest, said sources.

The chief minister also promised that more land would be provided to the airport authorities for the extension of the terminal building, the sources said.

A 23-acre plot was earmarked to set up the Instrument Landing System, but its acquisition is being delayed as a handful of encroachers are refusing to vacate the land. The system that guides planes for landing at night and in bad weather will be installed by the Indian Air Force which is the custodian of Bagdogra airport

The requirement for the night landing system was decided on in 2012. Since then, around 10 families have been removed from the plot, which they had encroached on.

Mamata today gave the assurances at the executive lounge of the airport where S. Bhaduri, the regional airport director of the AAI based in Calcutta, made a presentation on the requirements of the airport.

"Bhaduri who had arrived in Bagdogra today told the chief minister that land was required both for the landing system and the extension of the terminal building. The chief minister immediately instructed the district officials of Darjeeling to see that the land was handed over to AAI at the earliest. She made it clear that the state wanted the night landing system to be introduced at the airport and the AAI would soon get the land," said a source.

"For the extension of the terminal building, the chief minister said they would look into the issue and see that land for this purpose was also given to the AAI," the source added.

Early this week, AAI officials had said they would approach the chief minister today - she took a flight from Bagdogra to Calcutta this afternoon after a five-day trip to north Bengal - and would press for the land required for the installation of the night landing facility.

At the airport, Mamata today inaugurated a Biswa Bangla Store, which will sell products ranging from handicrafts to Darjeeling tea and Bengali sweets.

The store is being run by the Biswa Bangla Marketing Corporation Limited under the state government.