It is time to say goodbye to ‘bumpy’ landings at Jammu airport, counted one among the country’s most dangerous airports due to relatively shorter runway.
After a long drawn process the Defence Ministry has formally granted working permission to the State Government for the expansion of the existing runway. Passengers, mostly Mata Vaishno Devi-bound pilgrims and other regular visitors — including VVIP’s, dread bumpy landings as pilots often apply brakes due to relatively short length of the runway at Jammu airport.
The pilots also face the challenges while approaching the runway in bad weather. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah before sharing this information at a public function in Jammu on Saturday also counted his own hellish experience of innumerable bumpy landings. “Jammu is one of the five dangerous airports in the country — we cannot risk the lives of the thousand of people travelling daily… We want to give a safe and secure airport to the travellers,” Omar said.
“We have been granted working permission from Ministry of Defence (for the expansion of Jammu Airport) -- soon the work will start on the runway of the airport,” he added. The airport expansion work was awaiting Defence Ministry’s clearance since 2011. Under the expansion plan, the Army is required to shift its technical base to Sunjwan and has already requested the State Government to create adequate infrastructure there to facilitate early shifting.
According to Omar, “a team of officers of State Government were sent to New Delhi recently to clear all the hurdles in Airport Expansion project”. The Centre had earlier sanctioned Rs 70 crore to expand and upgrade the airport to increase its landing surface and passenger-holding capacity from 200 to 700.
The project includes increase in landing surface, setting up of hangers, modernisation and expansion of the airport building and its premises. Omar said he had also discussed the importance of expansion of runways of Jammu Airport with the Union Government to make it capable of receiving bigger aircraft.
He said these projects would not only help to rope in more tourists to Jammu city but also give fillip to the economic activity in the State. Omar said the Centre has recognised this importance and the project has been cleared for expansion and upgradation of runways. Regarding the Gondola project on Bahu Fort-Mubarak Mandi axis in Jammu city, he said that the State Government has almost got clearance for the project from the Union Ministry of Environment.
Over the lake project on the banks of river Tawi, Omar said that people in Jammu will get the lake by March next year.” The work on the ambitious project was halted due to rains and other reasons and now i have been informed by the engineers working on the project that the lake would be ready by March -April 2014”,he added.
Omar calls for steps to give constitutional shape to CBI
J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said the Central Government should take steps to give CBI a ‘constitutional shape’ in the wake of the Gauhati High Court order, as it has serious implications for the “very important agency”. “The Government should think very seriously what steps are needed to be taken to give proper structure and constitutional shape to CBI,” Omar told reporters after laying foundation stone of 200-bed maternity hospital and opening four-lane section of Kunjwani Satwari road.
Omar said, “The High Court’s verdict has immediate effects on CBI”. “It is a serious issue. The very basis or foundation of CBI is questioned -- it is being said that CBI is no entity,” he added.