Dimapur airport delay: CM Rio asks MHA to release 18.8 acres held by Assam Rifles

The plot is currently occupied by Assam rifles;

Update: 2025-07-03 05:48 GMT
Dimapur airport delay: CM Rio asks MHA to release 18.8 acres held by Assam Rifles
A file image of Dimapur airport (AT Photo)
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Dimapur, July 3: Taking a personal initiative, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has directed the State Transport Department to secure release of 18.8 acres of land for the Dimapur airport, currently occupied by the Assam Rifles, for Phase I expansion of the airport.

The lack of approval for transfer of the land remains the sole impediment to starting work on Phase I expansion of the airport, reports said.

Rio requested urgent instructions from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to facilitate transfer and ensure timely commencement of the development works. In line with the Chief Minister’s directive, the department, in coordination with the MHA and relevant stakeholders, is pursuing release of the land under Assam Rifles occupation.

A high-level meeting was convened in New Delhi on July 1 to discuss the release of the land by the Assam Rifles. Myingthungo Ababe Ezung, OSD, Nagaland Transport Department, Moa Pongen, Director, Dimapur Airport and Airports Authority of India (AAI), and Assam Rifles representatives attended the meeting.

The State Government recently cleared 17.9 acres of land from illegal encroachment after a prolonged legal battle and handed it over to the AAI.

The CRPF also vacated 8.4 acres of land under their occupation, supporting the Phase I expansion efforts.

The Assam Rifles has already been allotted alternative land at Shokhuvi village in Chumoukedima district, where a new training centre and school of the force has been established and is now fully operational.

Despite these positive developments, the land under the occupation of the Assam Rifles has not been transferred. Rio had earlier written a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, highlighting the inability to expand the airport due to land constraints, which is causing serious operational and safety concerns.

The AAI’s master plan for phased development has been hindered even at Phase I due to the pending land transfer. The State Government and the CRPF have done their part by vacating and handing over the required land to the AAI, but the Assam Rifles is reportedly yet to vacate the land.

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