The Indian Air Force (IAF) has given the permission to start night-landing operations at the Srinagar airport while the installation of runway lights by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is in its advanced stage of completion.
This information was given to Governor NN Vohra at a high-level meeting of the civil, police and security forces officers at the civil secretariat here on Tuesday.
Advisers to Governor K Vijay Kumar and BB Vyas; Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam; administrative secretaries; Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir; Deputy Commissioner, Budgam; and other senior officers concerned from the administration, IAF, AAI and security establishments; attended the meeting.
The Governor directed Special DGP VK Singh to ensure that the work to construct accommodation for forces personnel, to be deployed for maintaining the security of the airport and surrounding areas due to enhanced timing of the operations, should be completed within 60 days, without failure. He also instructed the Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir to ensure that the work of lighting, provision of toilets and other facilities was taken up immediately and completed by August 5.
Meanwhile, Ravi Deep Sahi, CRPF IG, promised to provide temporary accommodation to the troops on the RTC campus at Humhuma. The Srinagar airport director was asked to take immediate steps for the provision of accommodation to house additional forces personnel required to provide security during the entire period of the extended flying operations.
The Governor was further informed that a number of steps had been taken to improve the comfort and security of the passengers visiting the airport, which included provision of additional X-ray scanning machines, toilets and other facilities.
He directed the civil aviation commissioner to ensure that a feasibility study of the proposed flyover from Humhama Chowk to the airport gets completed within a week, to ease the existing vehicular congestion as well as to ensure dislocating the existing market near the airport entrance.
Jammu airport runway expansion reviewed
The Governor also reviewed the progress of runway expansion at the Jammu airport through video-conferencing with the Divisional Commissioner of Jammu and officers concerned of civil, police, Indian Air Force, Army and AAI, among others.
Sanjeev Verma, Divisional Commissioner, Jammu, informed the Governor that the hindrances obstructing the start of runway expansion and boundary wall construction at the Jammu airport had been fully resolved and the work was already underway. Verma informed the Governor that the time period of the work on the boundary wall shall be reduced from 15 to nine months and that of the runway from 24 to about 13 months.
Regarding the construction of the new terminal at the Jammu airport, the Governor directed the Divisional Commissioner to ensure urgent handover of the required land to the AAI.
Srinagar airport gets IAF approval night flights to start soon
