Dum Dum airport, aka NSC Bose International Airport, is shortly becoming passé. Its modernization is in progress, a second runway being readied extending toward Barasat. Besides, expansion of terminal area, more number of parking bays for aircrafts, additional check-in counters with independent conveyor system, and so on are also progressing at quite a pace.
But, looking at what the future might hold, especially in view of multi-faceted growth of Indian economy, what with economists of different hues almost agreeing on double digit GDP growth, it can be safely assumed that there’ll be unprecedented surge in air traffic (both passenger and cargo) in the years to come.
Thus when a new green-field airport for Kolkata was first mooted, it did not come as a surprise. Although, going by newspaper reports, the civil aviation ministry at the center tried its best to obfuscate the need of a new airport for Kolkata – similar to what the shipping ministry is doing in case of a deep sea port off Sagar Islands – the PM understood its necessity and fully backed our CM for the same.
Kolkata’s new airport is proposed at Sonarpur-Baruipur belt at the southern fringes of the city on 6000 acres of land. At a total investment of around Rs.1200 crore, the airport is planned to have 2 runways, at least 15 hangars and multiple passenger gates so as to easily afford multiple flights around the same time.
When will the new airport come up is anybody’s guess. Land hasn’t probably been acquired so far, and if the opposition’s current attempt to thwart industrial progress at any cost is any example, the new airport is truly a long way off.
If however it does come into being on the back of relentless effort by the present Bengal regime, its annual capacity to handle 4.5 million passengers will become handy to project the city as a great destination. Same goes for the deep sea port as well.
This article is based on the pullout, Makeover Matrix, brought out by The ET, Kolkata, Dec 21.
Related reading: New airport in offing
Leave a Reply