Govt targets ₹1,000-cr for airport projects in J&K

In yet another attempt to integrate Jammu & Kashmir with rest of the country by increasing connectivity, the Union government has targeted a staggering investment worth ₹1,000 crore to expand three airports in the state. The Airports Authority of India (AAI), which expanded and modified the terminal of Jammu in the recent past, has now started work on extending the runway at the airport and sought more land from state government for a new terminal. The work on upgrading the Leh and Srinagar airports is also in full swing. A new terminal at Leh and the expansion of the terminal at Srinagar have already been approved and work will gather pace with the government focused on prioritizing such projects in the region and the work will be completed by the middle of 2022, said an AAI spokesperson, adding that the agency has planned a new terminal building at Leh airport and the project will cost ₹480 crore. The target to complete the project by 2021; with 18,000 sq m of built up area, the annual capacity of the terminal will be 1.6 million per annum. According to AAI, Indian airports have added the capacity to handle 125 million passengers per year, with the state-owned airports developer itself adding 80 million.