New Delhi: Asserting that the North-Eastern region is primarily based on horticulture, agriculture and tea cultivation, a Parliamentary Committee has suggested to the Central government to make the Dibrugarh airport a standard airport for transport of horticulture, agriculture and tea products to all the regions of the country.
The Committee during the course of its deliberations with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Transport recently raised the issue of lack of cargo facilities in the North-Eastern region, especially in the States of Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. The Committee is of the opinion that the economy of the North-Eastern region is primarily based on horticulture, agriculture and tea cultivation, which can prosper only if proper markets are created for the sale of these products.
“The existing Dibrugarh airport, which is a major airport in the North-Eastern region, may be developed as a standard airport for transport of horticulture, agriculture and tea products to all the regions of the country,” the Committee headed by Rajya Sabha MP TG Venkatesh said. Presently, domestic air cargo is being handled through passenger terminals at 13 AAI-managed airports namely Adampur, Belagavi, Darbhanga, Dibrugarh, Dimapur, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Jalgaon, Lilabari, Prayagraj, Rajkot, Tuticorin, Udaipur and one State government operated Shirdi airport.
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The Committee has noted with serious concern that over the last five years, the bulk of the air cargo has been handled by the international freighters and the Indian freighters have handled less than 40 per cent of the total share. The Airports Authority of India Cargo Logistics and Allied Services (AAICLAS) AAICLAS, which is wholly dedicated to the development of air cargo, logistics and allied services, was set up, in 2016, which shows the lack of concern on the part of the Ministry to increase the share of Indian cargo freighters.
The Committee feels that the Indian air cargo sector has immense potential, which is seen from the fact that strong resilience has been shown by the sector, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. “All out efforts should be made to increase the share of the Indian cargo freighters in the near future so that the outgo of foreign exchange can be reduced. The growth in this sector will also create new avenues of employment and aid the country’s economic growth,” the Committee stated.
Referring to the seaplane policy in view of the fact that India is endowed with rivers and lakes, the Committee has recommended that a feasibility study may be conducted in the North-Eastern region for the operation of seaplanes in the big lakes and rivers of the North-Eastern region. “There is a need for the expeditious finalisation of seaplane policy. Proper planning should be done before the start of the operations so that they are not halted,” the Committee stated.
