Damaged properties await renovation
SHILLONG: Baljek airport constructed at a cost of Rs.12.52 crore is in a shambles owing to lack of maintenance and the government’s callous approach in ‘outsourcing’ the entire complex to BSF and Meghalaya police personnel.
A group of militants from LAEF and UALA recently vacated the premises after being sheltered for seven months at the airport.
During the visit to the airport at Jengjal, 33km from Tura in West Garo Hills, on Saturday, it was revealed that several crores of rupees will have to be spent again to renovate the already dilapidated airport.
Broken chairs and internal roof panels, damaged toilets and the power house, among others, show the apathy of the authorities in maintaining the now defunct airport.
On October 23, 2008, the then president Prathibha Patil had inaugurated the airport when the UDP-NCP led government was in power. The 19-seater Dornier aircraft carrying Patil was the only plane to land at Baljek in the last eight years. The airport now houses several BSF and Meghalaya police personnel.
BSF, Police use Baljek site as barracks
The BSF which is using the airport site as barracks has also painted the wall of the Baljek airport that reads, “Welcome to G-Coy.75 BN BSF, Baljek Airport, Helping the Helpless”.
The government is tightlipped about whose idea it was to convert the airport as barracks of the BSF and police personnel.
There were several attempts by the government to acquire land and expand the runway to facilitate landing of bigger aircraft, but in vain. The government had in the past said steps had been taken to invite expression of interest from private airlines to operate commercial aircraft.
Earlier in 2010, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had slammed the State government for not utilising the airport and it even pointed out that the cost of upgradation would further increase due to the damages and depreciation of assets since the airport had been lying unutilised without any maintenance.
“This not only showed apathy on the part of the government in proper utilisation of assets created for the socio-economic development of the area and better communication, but also rendered the expenditure incurred idle,” the CAG report had said.
The CAG had also pointed out that though the government was aware of the inadequacy of the runway, the project was conceived by the transport department and the government did not take effective steps to acquire land for the extension of the runway.
West Garo Hills DC Pravin Bakshi said the government is exploring ways and means to use 16-seater Cessna aircraft. He admitted that there were issues related to land acquisition process in the past.
Earlier last year, the district administration had acquired 58 acres for the expansion of Baljek airport with a budget of around Rs 2.59 crore and handed over the airport to the Transport Department. The purpose of the expansion of the airport was to ensure landing of bigger aircraft.
Recently, the State government had formed a committee to make the airport operational. In addition, the Transport Department had also written to some private airlines to operate smaller aircraft from the airport.
The Centre is also planning to revive 46 under-served and unserved airports and airstrips in the North East, including Baljek, under the novel regional connectivity scheme.