Kolkata, Feb 6 (UNI) Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday slammed the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government for its alleged apathy and not responding to the Union government's requests for land allocation or developments of existing Airports as well as creation of new ones for betterment of aviation facilities and industrialization of the state.
" I hope Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will assure the Investors and other attendees that her Govt will resolve all the issues related to land acquisition so that West Bengal gets the best air connectivity that the Central Government wants to provide WB," Adhikari said.
Taking to his social media platform X amid the ongoing 2-day Bengal Global Business Summit in which top industry captains and foreign delegates are participating at New Town Adhikari said once the state government agrees and provides land for
existing Airport expansion and creation of new ones then it will definitely
boost industrialisation.
"It will certainly boost the grim investment scenario that is plaguing the state and improve the Industrialization opportunities," Adhikari said.
Adhikari also listed the number of Airports under the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in West Bengal like Bagdogra, Behala, Coochbehar, Malda (On lease to GoWB), Balurghat (On lease to GoWB), Asansol, Durgapur (Andal) and a proposal to develop new Civil Enclaves at Hasimara and Kalaikunda, which needed land either for development or creation and restoration of aviation facilities.
" Firstly the Civil Aviation Ministry has been trying to persuade the West Bengal Government to provide land to expand the infrastructure of the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport at Kolkata. For this, they sought the assistance required for the Relocation of a Mosque located at the secondary runway (19-R) and assistance for the construction of an operational boundary wall near the Mazar. The Govt of WB didn't respond," the Nanogram MLA pointed out.
" Secondly, Former Civil Aviation Ministers wrote letters to the Chief Minister of West Bengal asking for land to build a second Airport in the vicinity of Kolkata. Here also no positive response has been received," claimed Adhikari.
" Even assistance was sought for Behala Airport by seeking diversion of the City Road passing through AAI land. No cooperation has been provided by the WB Govt," the BJP leader said.
He said there were issues related to land acquisition for the development of all the Airports but the state has not shown any positive intent yet to settle the issue.
West Bengal has only one major Airport in Kolkata - Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport - and one at Bagdogra in north Bengal where only 28/30 flights make landings and fly during daylight.
Another at Durgapur still requires development for full-fledged operation, he said.
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