Army will give land for runway

Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir will soon get a full-fledged Airport facility with provision for Aircraft landing and taking off, for which, an upgraded Airstrip will accordingly be constructed adjacent to the Chaugan ground in the city.

This was disclosed by Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Dr Jitendra Singh, after presiding over a joint meeting of Senior Officers of J&K State Government and Defence Forces to sort out the nitty-gritties and other related aspects of the issue.

The meeting, held 16 Jan 2018, was arranged by Minister of State for Defence Dr Subhash Ramrao Bhamre and also attended by Minister of State Transport, Jammu and Kashmir, Sunil Sharma.

Dr Singh said that in the next few days a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed between the Government of Jammu and Kashmir and Defence Authorities wherein an Airstrip will be constructed and maintained by Government of Jammu and Kashmir.

Extra piece land required for construction of the strip will be made available from the land currently under the possession of the Army, he said.

The airstrip that will be for joint use, both by the civilian authorities as well as the Indian Army.

However, Dr Singh said, the Government gives highest preference to the priorities and concerns of the Indian Army and is very sensitive about requirements of the Armed Forces.

Considering this, he said, as per the MoU, the Army Authorities will be entitled to exercise priority and prerogative on different issues related to the bilateral arrangement between Civilian Government and the Army. fii-news.com