Centre, UP govt to expedite work on Sonbhadra airport

LUCKNOW: Air connectivity in Uttar Pradesh has received yet another thrust with the Centre and the state government joining hands to expedite construction of an airport in Sonbhadra under the regional connectivity scheme (RCS).
The state government has also decided to give a facelift to Bareilly and Chitrakoot airstrips by making provision of higher power load for them. The plan to develop Myorpur (Sonbhadra) airport comes after the Union ministry of environment gave in-principle approval to the conversion of land use of over 0.6 hectare of forest land for construction of a terminal building near Myorpur.
In a communique (dated November 13) sent to director, UP civil aviation, Surendra Singh, the department of civil aviation said the Centre’s approval for land use conversion was received on October 9 after which the state government has decided to deposit around Rs 5.8 lakh as part of the agreement.The terminal is proposed to be built close to the existing airstrip which is 1.4 metre long and 25 metre wide and being currently used for small aircrafts.
The new route which is being planned is Lucknow-Myorpur- Chitrakoot-Myorpur-Lucknow. The upcoming airport is proposed to have an apron area, a lounge and a boundary wall. “The airport is proposed to be taken up by RCS which focuses on unserved areas,” a senior official in civil aviation department said.
As per the communique, the amount sanctioned by the state government would be spent as per the rules framed during lockdown period earlier this year. The department would also ensure that funds are not sanctioned under any other scheme of the state government.
The amount would be used as per requirement and it would not be kept under the public ledger account (PLA) of any bank account. The director of civil aviation department would be required to submit a fund utilization certificate to the state government.