Kolkata: With an aim to decongest Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (NSCBIA) in Dumdum, the West Bengal government has decided to construct a second airport in the vicinity of Kolkata, a senior official said on Friday.
The state government has started looking for land in neighbouring South 24 Parganas district, he said, adding that Bhangar is among the possible locations.
In a recent communication, Chief Secretary H K Dwivedi has directed South 24 Parganas District Magistrate P Ulganathan to earmark land for the proposed airport, which will have facilities of an international airport, the official said.
“There is a lot of pressure on Dumdum airport in North 24 Parganas district. We have felt the need to construct a new airport in the vicinity of Kolkata. The best possible place will be in South 24 Parganas. This will probably be the second biggest airport in the state,” the IAS officer told PTI.
Ulganathan has been asked to find land where an airport with a “three-km-long runway” could be built, he said.
“We need to build another airport of international standards with facilities akin to NSCBIA. Bhangar has open spaces. The possibility of building the proposed airport will be better there. We need to construct a hangar and runway that can accommodate bigger airplanes such as Boeing 777. The search for land is on,” the official said.
Bagdogra airport in Siliguri, which caters to the north Bengal districts, is another big airport in the state, although it is much smaller than NSCBIA.
Incidentally, to cut down pressure on Bagdogra airport, the state government has decided to revamp the Balurghat, Coochbehar and Malda airports.
A central team has recently conducted a survey of the three airports.
The state government is also planning to build another airport in Chharrah in Purulia district, the official said.
“However, this is in a very early stage. Once built, the airport will bring development to the region,” he added.