AGARTALA, July 11 (TIWN): The revised Direct Project Report (DPR) of Rs. 450 crore for the expansion of Agartala airport into international standard is in the pipeline, said top official of Agartala airport authority on Friday. He said that the Airport Authority of India is working hard enough to bring everything on right track.

The official said, “We are preparing to start the preparatory work soon for the project work being undertaken by the AAI.” At the meantime AAI is planning to lay the foundation stone likely by December this year, after which the project work would kick start in a full-fledged manner.

A total of 72 acres of land had already been acquired by the state government and was handed over to AAI for expansion of the runway. AAI would now recruit consultant and would frame the design of Agartala airport in international standard, the official said on Friday.

AAI Chairman R. K. Srivastava had recently visited Tripura and took a stock of situation of Agartala airport to undertake the expansion work into international standard and haled a meeting Chief Minister Manik Sarkar and other high level officers of state transport department.

Srivastava assured that the project work would kick start by the month of December this year. "All preliminary works have been completed. We will soon engage a project consultant to make Agartala airport world class," Srivastava said.

Besides, asked about the current status of existing airport, the official on Friday despite all odds managed to say that the existing Agartala airport is fully equipped with all kinds of facilities with its capacity to cater the needs of ‘C’ category flights.

But interestingly a section of air passengers have been demanding for quality service here at Agartala airport. The passengers claim that the airport lacks quality cafeteria or canteens and the toilet facilities have become back dated and needs to be replaced.

It has very less counters inside, as a result the passengers have to make a bee storming gathering for boarding pass or security checking following which they have to hurry to avail the flight, passengers claimed.

At present on an average of 8 flights operate daily from this Agartala airline sector for departure as well as for arrival, official said.

The AAI had already upgraded the Imphal airport into an international status here in the northeastern region whereas another expansion work here in Agartala is in the pipeline and is expected to kick off from December this year.

According to the officials, state govt. has already spent a total of Rs. 35 crore for the project work. State government has allotted about 72 acres of land to Airports Authority of India (AAI) to facilitate the Rs 300-crore Agartala airport up gradation project.

157 families were displaced from the southern and western part of the city airport. The families have been shifted to the land that AAI had abandoned on the other side of the airport along with a total cash compensation of Rs 30 crore.