Hollongi green field airport: 156 chakma families have to shift from site
MLA and DC inspected the Hollongi green field airport construction site, and discussed the hurdles in shifting and providing rehabilitation package to 156 chakma family .
Itanagar
The delay in shifting of the 156 Chakma families who are going to be displaced from the proposed airport site is creating hurdle in the start of the construction work of Hollongi green field airport in Papum Pare district.
This issue came to light when the local MLA Tana Hali Tara along with several other officials visited the project site on Saturday to review the progress of airport work.
The rehabilitation of the displaced families has now become prime concern as the work cannot start until they are properly rehabilitated.
It was brought to the notice of visiting team that the estimated cost for the Relief & Rehabilitation (R&R) plan has already been submitted to the state government by Deputy Commissioner, Papum Pare through the Secretary land management one week ago.
Now the district administration is waiting for the fund to implement the R&R infrastructure and other provision necessary for shifting of these 156 Chakama families from the airport site, the DA official informed.
Earlier the Chakma families had lodged a complaint in the National Human Right Commission (NHRC) against arbitrary expulsion of Chakma people from their temporary settlement area without any rehabilitation packages in the project.
Later the state government deposed before the commission that displaced families will be first rehabilitated with all the provision of R&R before the commencement of the construction of airport project and based on this the case was closed by NHRC.
The Chakma rehabilitation & resettlement committee today submitted a memorandum to Papum Pare deputy commissioner Pige Ligu and local MLA. They have appealed to the state government to rehabilitate them at the earliest so that work at airport site can start sooner.
Also the land acquisition for the 4-lane approach road towards airport has not been taken up due to non submission of approved strip alignment plan by the PWD (Highway) Division to the district administration. Further it was informed that state government has not been able to finalize the executing agency for the 4 lane work.
The officials of Airport Authority of India (AAI) present on the occasion briefed that last date for the submission of tender for the Hollongi airport project is 9th September 2019 and the tender will be opened next month.
Further the AAI officials informed that during the first tender process no bidders participated forcing them to go for second round of tender process.
While speaking on the occasion MLA Tana Hali Tara thanked Chief Minister Pema Khandu for prioritizing the sanctioning of the airport project with the active support of MoS Kiren Rijiju
It is to be noted that Union Minister of State (Independent) for Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri, during a videoconference with Arunachal Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar recently had fixed March 31, 2022 as date for the completion of green field airport project.
The Deputy Commissioner Papum Pare Pige Ligu and other officials of the line department like EE PWD (Highway) , EE PHED, Yupia Division, EE PWD, Doimukh, EE RWD, Poma Division, EE Power, DLRSO, etc accompanied the MLA.
