Union Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Monday announced plans to develop four new airports in West Bengal within the next two years, as the Centre seeks to expand regional air connectivity and strengthen the state’s aviation infrastructure.
The airports are planned at Chharra in Purulia, Kalaikunda in Paschim Medinipur, Balurghat in Dakshin Dinajpur and Hasimara in Alipurduar, under an agreement signed between the and the West Bengal government for implementation of the UDAN regional connectivity scheme, PTI reported.
Naidu said the Centre aims to double the number of in West Bengal, with the four proposed facilities expected to take the state’s airport count from four to eight.
Hasimara and Kalaikunda already have 2,700-metre airstrips that can be used for civil aviation operations. At Balurghat, the owns land and the existing airstrip can be expanded to facilitate flight operations, Naidu said.
The minister said ₹29,000 crore will be spent under in West Bengal over the next 10 years.
“Other states, in the last 12 years, have doubled their number of airports and it is only Bengal that is lagging behind,” Naidu said.
The Centre also backed West Bengal’s plan for a second airport in Kolkata, amid growing demand for air connectivity and the city’s importance as an aviation hub for eastern India.
“I also want Kolkata to have a second airport. We will extend full support for that and work will soon start,” Naidu said.
The state has identified 2,000 acres at Kalyani for an alternate airport to supplement the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport.
West Bengal Chief Minister also urged the Centre to include Malda and Cooch Behar in the next phase of airport development as full-fledged airports.
Naidu said the government would soon hold discussions with airlines and other companies after Adhikari sought more direct international routes.
The minister said existing airports at Kolkata, Durgapur, Bagdogra and Cooch Behar would also be strengthened.
Naidu said the first 10-year phase of the UDAN scheme had been modified and extended, with West Bengal set to receive priority support.
He also urged the state government to introduce a new civil aviation policy to attract investment into the sector.
“I would also request the government to frame a new civil aviation policy to attract investors,” Naidu said.
The minister said that states that take steps to attract investment in aviation and manufacturing would receive the Centre’s support.
Naidu linked the expansion of airport infrastructure with the government’s broader push to create a domestic aviation manufacturing ecosystem.
“We have to create a manufacturing ecosystem,” he said, referring to Prime Minister vision of building an aircraft in India within the next two years.
Adhikari said the state was ready to provide land for airport development and reiterated the proposal for the Kalyani airport.
He also blamed the previous for delays in airport and other infrastructure projects, alleging that land sought by the Centre had not been provided.
With inputs from PTI
