Airstrip, control tower for Kargil by September

Airstrip, control tower for Kargil by September
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

New Delhi, December 18: Kargil will soon be having its own airstrip and a control tower by September next year allowing combat aircraft and smaller passenger planes to operate from the border town in Jammu and Kashmir, senior officials said today.

The 6,400 feet long airstrip has already been constructed at a cost of Rs 32 crore at Khurbhatang and the control tower is being set up, they said.With the completion of the airstrip and the control tower planes like Dornier would be able to take tourists to the place which witnessed the recent military conflict with Pakistan. The runway would later be extended by another 3,000 feet to allow bigger aircraft to operate.

A team of top officials of the Union home ministry led by special director, Jammu and Kashmir affairs, T R Kakkar made an on-the-spot survey of the airstrip and other allied facilities in Kargil on December 16.

The team also took stock of the progress in the contruction of 2,067 bunkers in Kargil district to protect the people from Pakistanishelling. So far the district administration has incurred an expenditure of Rs 2.91 crore.

The administration there intends to contruct another 1000 bunkers including 100 community bunkers during the financial year and Rs 5.33 crore has been allocated for the purpose, the sources said.

Meanwhile, a decision has been taken to continue till May 31, 2000 relief and rehabilitation operations for 31,655 people in Kargil and nearly two lakh people in Jammu displaced because of the Kargil conflict, they said.