The Airports Authority of India (AAI) will carry out an environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the new terminal building and ancillary infrastructure that will come up at Bagdogra airport in Bengal.
It is essential to conduct an EIA before the project is started. It would help in evaluating certain environmental problems associated with the operation of the airport, which includes noise pollution, emission of greenhouse gases, land utilisation, waste disposal, etc. An expert told the media that in the EIA, solutions are also provided to address these problems which include the adoption of new processes and the use of technology to decrease the impact on the environment. Tenders have been floated for consultancy companies so that the EIA can be carried out at the site. There is a plan to construct a terminal building, along with parking bays, fire station, apron control tower, car parking space, guest rooms, retiring rooms, security cabins, link taxiways, watchtowers, navigation aids building, residential accommodation for AAI and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel, and several other facilities, as per the AAI sources. On March 16 this year, the Bengal government handed over about 100 acres for the airport expansion as its existing infrastructure was proving insufficient to handle the number of fliers who move via Bagdogra. The Civil Aviation Ministry, which has been waiting for the land, took no time and issued tenders for designing a master plan for the airport last month. Around Rs 1,312.88 crore would be spent on the new infrastructure. Now, the AAI has prepared to carry out the EIA. It is obvious that the Centre is ready to start the expansion work without any further delay, said a source at the airport. Usually, 55 to 60 daily flight movements are registered at the airport, while 7,000 to 9,000 passengers use Bagdogra every day. Image Source
