CHANDIGARH: A Nonresident Indian (NRI) and chairman of one of private airlines has offered to construct an international airport between Ludhiana and Jalandhar provided he gets all rights for 15 years.
The offer was made in writing by Gurcharan Singh Bambara, chairman, City link Airways, to the Punjab Chief Minister, Beant Singh, at the time of the formal inauguration of first flight to Bhuntar from here.
Bambara said his company was ready to construct & modern international airport between Goraya and Phagwara to bring Punjab on the international air map. The entire expenditure would be borne by his company. But the state government would have to sign a contract and give all rights to his company for the first 15 years, the offer said.
The Chief Minister said since the Raja Sansi airport in Amritsar was too close to the border and congestion was Coming in the way of its expansion the government was more or less convinced that an international airport between Ludhiana and Jalandhar not far from Hoshiarpur should be constructed,
Some of the private airlines, however, have objected to the grant because to company which is the main general sales agent of a foreign airline.
An “unholy alliance” between the private air taxi operator and the foreign airline, would deprive the domestic carriers not only of revenue but also lead to drainage of foreign exchange.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 23, 1993
