Airport expansion faces resistance in Manipur

Imphal, Mar 12 (UNI) Protesting Manipur government's move to acquire more land for exapansion of Tulihal airport here, the Joint Action Committee(JAC) has launched a three-day agitation from today.

They have threatened of a total shut-down of the airport for three days from today.

Airport officials said normal services were not being affected and CRPF personnel have been deployed to guard the airport gates.

Moreover, the airport complex has been completely sealed off.

Normal flights began without any hitches from 0900 hours today, officials added.

Police said five persons had been detained so far in connection with the agitation. Some JAC representatives said that large areas of homestead land would be affected and large number of people evicted in the expansion process, hence it is opposing the expansion process.

Meanwhile, a Manipur Information Centre official said the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is undertaking development and modernization work in all the 35 non-metro airports, including Imphal Airport, simultaneously with the rest of the country and work is due to be completed by March 2010.

Union Minister for Civil Aviation Praful Patel informed the Rajya Sabha yeserday that the target date for completion of modernization process of the 35 non-metro airports by the AAI was March 2010.

UNI NS LL AB 1228