MP urges AAI to expand civil enclave at Darbhanga airport

PATNA: As passenger footfall has been rapidly increasing at Darbhanga airport, local MP Gopaljee Thakur has urged Airports Authority of India (AAI) chairman Anuj Kumar and other officials to develop a bigger civil enclave on a par with international airports and facilitate landing of big planes there.
At a meeting with the AAI officials in Delhi on Wednesday, the MP talked about the challenges and the shortcomings faced by the passengers at the existing pre-fabricated structure at Darbhanga airport.He called for installation of a shade from the entry point of the airport to the terminal building and launch of free electric bus service.
Thakur said Category I (CAT I) system is required at the airport for the landing of aircraft even in low visibility during the winter time as several flights were cancelled in January this. He also raised concern over nilgais living in the green covers inside the airport premises. “The boundary wall on one-side of the runway needs to be raised to give security cover to the airport,” he said.
The MP also requested the AAI officials to start more flights from Darbhanga on different routes, including Dehradun, Guwahati, Surat, Ranchi and Jaipur. “The other airlines should also start flight services from Darbhanga,” Thakur said.
The AAI chairman has asked the MP to provide required land for construction of bigger terminal building. The AAI had earlier written to the state government, seeking 78-acre-land on the southern side of the runway at Darbhanga airport. Around 54-acre-land is required for the permanent civil enclave, including terminal building, cargo, multi-level car parking, fire station and other auxiliary buildings.
A senior official in cabinet secretariat department told this newspaper that the letter was received before Holi celebration. “The AAI team had visited the site in Darbhanga in February and asked for 78 acres of and. Earlier, they has sought 36 acres of land. The state government will soon acquire the land and hand over the same for creation of a new civil enclave,” the official said.