No land to extend Dehradun airport’s runway except forest: Uttarakhand govt to Centre

Over a month after the Centre asked Uttarakhand government to search for alternate land for extension of the runway at Dehradun airport, the state government has replied saying that no such land was available for the exercise.

In October, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) had written to the state government. The letter had mentioned that the state government “may explore alternatives for the proposal such as acquiring area lying north of the existing runway…the entire proposed forest area for diversion falls within the Shivalik Elephant Reserve and elephant corridors within its 1 km radius. Moreover, the notified Kansaro-Barkot Elephant Corridor is located within 5 km radius. The State Government should consider avoiding these sensitive areas and explore alternative lands.”

Officials privy to the matter said that a reply from the Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority (UCADA) on technical queries has been submitted, while reply by the forest department will be sent on Tuesday.