The expansion of Pantnagar Airport in Udham Singh Nagar district will result in the relocation of the Rudrapur-Pantnagar highway (NH-74) approximately 7 km from its current alignment. Land has been designated to the Pantnagar airport authority to facilitate survey, mapping, and extension activities.
Udayraj Singh, the district magistrate of Udham Singh Nagar, announced that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has been allocated 103 acres of land for the highway segment within the airport expansion zone and will commence a survey for the construction of the new roadway.
Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Manish Bisht officially transferred the allocated land for airport expansion to the airport authority, noting that around 525 acres from Pantnagar University and the Terai Development Corporation (TDC) have been repurposed for this project. Tenders have already been issued for the demolition of TDC buildings within the designated area.
As the expansion progresses, safety measures are being prioritized. Pantnagar airport director Monika Dembla emphasized the need to remove several large, overgrown trees along the airport's boundary that pose security concerns.
In response, divisional forest officer (DFO) UC Tiwari indicated that while some tree species require special permissions for removal, a list will be provided to the airport authority to proceed accordingly.
