Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu on Thursday asked the officials engaged in the construction of the Greenfield Airport at Hollongi to expedite the progress of work so as to make sure that the ambitious project is finished by August 2022.
The chief minister along with civil aviation minister Nakap Nalo, a host of legislators and departmental officials visited the construction site at Hollongi near here and took first-hand reports of the ground facts.
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Khandu during his interaction with the project officials said: “This project, foundation of which was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is our top-most priority. Please be informed that earlier the completion target was November 2022, which has been changed to August 2022.”
“Work accordingly,” the chief minister advised while assuring that funds would not be a constraint for completion of any work on time.
Khandu, however, expressed concern over the slow progress of actual work on the runaway and airport terminal.
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He asked the chief project manager, to speed up the construction process and said all assistance would be provided to the firm by the government.
The project is being executed by Dinesh Chandra R Agarwal Infracon Pvt Ltd, a Gujarat-based construction firm.
“You have got five months of the best working season now. Make full use of it. Work day and night. You have got all our support and cooperation,” he said while adding that he would monitor the progress by personally visiting the site from time to time.
As the airport site lies along the Assam-Arunachal boundary and some land have to be acquired also from the Assam side, Khandu informed that he would soon have a talk in this regard with his Assam counterpart.
“As both Arunachal and Assam will benefit from the airport, we will coordinate with Assam government in the successful completion of the project,” he said.
Earlier officials of the work departments like power, public health engineering, public works and district administration gave details of works being executed by each like water supply, power, approach road, boundary wall, land acquisition, rehabilitation of displaced Chakma settlers, etc.
Most of the works are under execution, the officials said and assured that by March next year they would be completed except for a few that will be executed after completion of works like boundary wall, approach road, etc.
Khandu on the day also visited the rehabilitation site of the 186 displaced Chakma families and interacted with them. He assured them assistance, especially in resolving the drinking water issue, which is under progress.
As a temporary solution, water is being supplied through borewells at the moment.
The chief minister was informed that 156 families had to be shifted and rehabilitated from the project site and 30 families from the 4-lane approach road.
Almost all families have shifted except a few who after harvesting their crops would follow soon.
Spread over an area of 320 hectares, the Greenfield Airport once completed, would be able to accommodate narrow-body jets like the Airbus A321 in the first phase.