UP: Air traffic suspended at flooded Kushinagar 'International' Airport, courtesy official apathy

Director in-charge of Kushinagar Airport, G Pradeep said that though the authorities had given a lump sum amount to the Public Works Department, the renovation work at the airport could not be completed in time due to the latter's negligence.

Kushinagar (UP): Air traffic at Kushinagar International Airport will remain suspended till September 21 due to incessant rains and consequent flooding at the airport, authorities said on Saturday. The air traffic had already been suspended for five days and was to resume on Saturday but the suspension was further extended.

Barring a few places at the airport, most parts including the runway are flooded. The road outside the terminal building, the parking lot, and the fuel station are also heavily flooded. The officials of the Public Works Department are trying to get the drainage system fixed.

Authorities, meanwhile, are pointing fingers at each other. Director in-charge of Kushinagar Airport, G Pradeep said that though the authorities had given a lump sum amount to the Public Works Department, the renovation work at the airport could not be completed in time due to the latter's negligence.

Kushipur International Airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 20, 2021. In the same year, the airport experienced a similar situation due to torrential rains. As a part of the evacuation, the state government has constructed a four-lane road and an RCC drain on both sides. However, come next year, the airport was flooded again.

The then airport director AK Dwivedi had handed over a one-time demand draft of Rs 33 crore to Hemraj Singh, the then executive engineer of the Public Works Department, to begin further renovation. The department, after completing the tender process, started the construction but lacked in speed leading to the same problems once the rains started this year.