AGARTALA, Aug 30 - Chief Minister Manik Sarkar requested Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayanta Sinha to start construction of a new terminal building for Agartala airport without any further delay, official sources said here on Tuesday.
Sinha, who arrived here on a whirlwind visit to review the status of facelift work of Agartala airport, held meeting with the Chief Minister on the issue.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister requested the Union Minister to start construction of new terminal building for Agartala airport immediately, Transport Minister Manik Dey, who was present in the meeting, told the media.
Besides, the Union Minister was also urged to operationalize the abandoned Kailashahar airport for small aircraft, keeping in mind of the growing necessity, he said.
�We also demanded increased frequency of Air India flights in the Agartala-Kolkata route, enabling critically ill persons to go outside the State for treatment purpose,� he said.
The demand to increase Air India flights has been made as it is the only air service to take patients on stretcher, while private players don�t have such facility.
Dey further informed that the Union Minister had said he would consider all the demands put forward before him after his return from Agartala.
Chief Secretary Yaspal Singh and Secretary of Transport Samarjit Bhowmik were also present in the meeting.
The work for a face-lift of the Agartala airport, the second largest airport in the northeastern region in terms of passenger traffic, will begin from February, 2016 as the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest has given clearance to the plan.
The entire project will cost Rs 338 crore. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has already invited tenders for carrying out the construction project.
The State government has already acquired 72 acres of land spending an amount of Rs 35 crore for the construction of the new terminal building.
A total of 45 flights are in operation in the Kolkata-Agartala and vice versa route on weekly basis. Of the total, 17 flights are of Air India and 14 flights each of IndiGo and SpiceJet.
IANS adds: The Union government is trying to improve air connectivity among northeastern States and between Northeast India and adjacent countries, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha said here on Tuesday.
He said, �Efforts are on to start air connectivity between the northeastern States and the neighbouring countries. If there is air connectivity between Northeast India and Bangkok, Dhaka and Yangon, one need not take the longer route through Kolkata. This would also boost trade and economy.�
After holding a long meeting with Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and Transport Minister Manik Dey, the Union Minister said that the Civil Aviation Ministry has undertaken a Rs 400-crore project to upgrade Agartala airport to international standards by providing world-class facilities.
