GUWAHATI: The Barak Valley in Assam inches closer to a connectivity overhaul as the proposed Doloo Airport in the valley was granted site-clearance by the Steering Committee for Greenfield Airports.
Announcing this on Tuesday, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, through a post social media, highlighted the two-stage process involved in establishing a new airport – site clearance as the first step, followed by in-principal approval.
The site for the airport, nestled within a tea garden, was earmarked in 2021 under the Greenfield Airport Policy 2008.
However, the land clearance process, involving the uprooting of bushes across 325 hectares, met with resistance from certain quarters of tea garden workers, who voiced concerns about their livelihoods.
Subsequently, authorities initiated an eviction process amid heightened security measures to maintain order.
Addressing the issue in the state assembly on Tuesday, the Assam government disclosed that over four million tea bushes were removed to make way for the airport.
Sarma, in a proactive move, distributed compensation to the affected tea garden workers on November 30, 2023.
The endorsement of the proposal for the Doloo Tea Garden includes 1,296 beneficiaries.
The proposal for the airport was formally submitted by the state government in October 2023.
The approval aligns with the Greenfield Airports (GFA) Policy of 2008, established by the Manmohan Singh government to guide the establishment of new airports nationwide.
To expedite the process, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) had submitted an application to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) under the GFA Policy, resulting in the granting of the clearance.
Meanwhile, Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, has retweeted the information shared by the Chief Minister Sarma.
Reacting to the development, Silchar MP Dr Rajdeep Roy highlighted the significance of this protocol clearance, marking a substantial step forward in the construction of the Greenfield airport.
Greenfield airports are those built entirely anew on previously untouched or undeveloped land.
Throughout their development, greenfield airports place a strong emphasis on environmental factors to mitigate any adverse effects on the surrounding areas.
