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Calamity Congress or no, Gujral gets his pet project cleared

Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral's pet fancy is about to take flight. That is, if the Congress behaves itself and let him be.

The mention here is to Gujral's dream of an international airport in Amritsar. Which, till very recently, had been firmly grounded by the Planning Commission's agitated 'No!' Reason: no money.

But now, the Commission, in the face of determined pressure from the Prime Minister's Office, has given in.

"Okay, okay," they said just a month ago, "Go ahead with it!"

And thus, on November 5, Planning Commission Advisor N P Bagchi gave the approval his official stamp when he wrote to the civil aviation ministry, sanctioning Rs 750 million initially. The proposal, meanwhile, has been sent to P Chidambaram's ministry, where financial wizards are trying to find the necessary funds somehow.

Sources said the runway will be relaid at Amritsar airport to accommodate 747 aircraft. Besides, it will be extended to 12,000 metres from the present 7,500 metres. A new terminal building and a separate wing for customs facilities will also come up.

Gujral's rationale behind the Amritsar project is that there is no major airport in Punjab. And the heavy traffic to the state from the United Kingdom and United States definitely do warrant one.

Meanwhile, with the PM's success, Union Civil Aviation Minister Chand Mahal Ibrahim too seems to have taken heart. Thus, we see him frantically working at his pet project -- an airport at Ajmer.

The clearance for the project came last month and land acquisitions are now on in full swing. The initial estimate for the Ajmer airport -- 135 kilometres from Jaipur airport -- is Rs 500 million.

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