Land given for Bagdogra airport expansion

The Bengal government on Wednesday cleared the decks for the expansion of Bagdogra airport as chief minister Mamata Banerjee handed over 104 acres of land to the Airports Authority of India for the project.

The demand for the expansion of the airport’s infrastructure was raised in several quarters in the past few years following a steep rise in the number of flights and passengers.

The rise in the passenger count had made the AAI draw up plans for the expansion of the terminal building and allied infrastructure.

But it took time for the state government to arrange for the land. The AAI, for the first time, paid Rs 25 crore to the state as compensation. It needed to be paid to a tea garden, from which the land had been acquired.