Exclusive: In Conversation with M Suresh, Regional Executive Director of AAI, NE Region

Guwahati: M Suresh, Regional Executive Director of Airport Authority of India, Northeast Region spoke exclusively to The Sentinel about the over Rs 1,600 crore airport infrastructure development push for the Northeastern states. Good news for the people of Kokrajhar and Dhubri, in the next couple of months the Rupasi airport is all set to be inaugurated and would be operational soon. Here are some excerpts from the interview.

The Sentinel: With the new Covid strain being found in UK is there something for the passengers to worry?

M Suresh: Guwahati and especially the northeastern states are fully prepared to handle this new Covid strain. We are adopting the earlier procedures which have been following. Anybody found with Covid symptoms they will be detected at the airport itself to prevent any further spread. The passengers will be home quarantined until they receive their Covid test result.

The Sentinel: Northeast has been in focus under the Narendra Modi government. What are the updates on the connectivity development of Northeast?

M Suresh: Under the UDAN scheme, as many as three helipads are coming up in Assam, six in Arunachal Pradesh, and in Manipur around five helipads are coming up. Two water aerodrome projects has been planned in Guwahati. Already their survey has been done recently by the Central Government alongwith state government and Airport Authority management. The water plane operation will be starting most probably in coming days in Guwahati. Airport Authority is ready for everything but there is delay from the airline operator.

Regarding the Rupsi airport too, we are ready for the past one year to start the operation, but there is a delay from the airline operator. Now the new work has been awarded to the FlyBig company, and as per FlyBig they are planning to operate in February, however the date has not been finalized yet.

Covid has impacted the connectivity development work to a great extent. Aircrafts, many of its parts have to be imported, the airline companies have been facing difficulties because of the Covid restrictions. But anyway, the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Airport Authority of India, Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence (DGCI) has been giving their full support to the airline companies to bring back their missions from abroad to India. Procurement of navigation equipment including aircraft manufactured by the international companies out of India were delayed, but as the things are getting normal we hope that the aviation sector will be back on track and everything will be normal in 2021.

There is a lot of relaxation in the rules to support the airline companies to start the operations. I am also in talk with many airline companies to start back their operation in the northeastern states.

Many states like Delhi, Tripura , Manipur have withdrawn the Covid restrictions. And messages are coming in that Nagaland also is likely to remove the mandatory Covid test, and once the restrictions are removed from all the northeastern states, people will be coming to Northeastern states and business would pick up. The flights are running to its full capacity but business has to pick up.

The Sentinel: What is the kind of investment the Northeastern region will see from the government in developing airport infrastructure?

M Suresh: This year we are expecting around Rs 468 crore investment for projects in the Northeastern states. Over 80 percent work has been completed in the Agratala airport in Tripura and most probably that will be inaugurated by March, 2021. Work for the Imphal airport is also going on. Similarly, in Guwahati a state-of-the-art building at an estimated cost of Rs. 1,236 crores is going on. The area is five times bigger than the existing terminal of the Guwahati airport. The interior being developed are of unmatchable quality. It will definitely impress visitors. The new terminal will have 64 check-in counters, around 10 to 25 lifts and world-class facilities. Till now 46 percent of work has been completed however the completion was delayed due to the lockdown.

Also Read Health Benefits of Reddish

Also Watch #CandidConversation: RJ Aaliya, Big FM, Guwahati in a live chat with Oineetom Ojah