Briefly Region

The Amritsar Vikas Manch has demanded that the Rajasansi International Airport should take measures to prevent discomfort to passengers during winters.

Written by Express News Service
Chandigarh | October 11, 2010 02:35 AM IST

2 min read

Cat-III ILS sought at Rajasansi airport
The Amritsar Vikas Manch has demanded that the Rajasansi International Airport should take measures to prevent discomfort to passengers during winters. Like Delhi airport,where the Delhi International Airport Private Limited (DIAL) installed Category III instrument landing system (ILS) three years ago to tackle the problem of fog,Rajasansi,too,should take similar measures,said AVM patron Dr Charanjit Singh Gumtala. Cat-III allows compatible aircraft and trained pilots to land even when the runway visibility is up to 50 metres. The Amritsar airport has Cat-I ILS at present. In a letter to All India Congress Committee chief Sonia Gandhi,Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patal and Lok Sabha member Navjot Singh Sidhu,Gumtala said the airport witnessed a heavy rush during winters but Air India would always discontinue its flights due to fog from December 15 to January 31 every year. As a result,passengers to and from New York,Chicago,Frankfurt,Singapore,Toronto,London and Hong Kong have to go or come via Delhi.

Khangura supports Manpreet
Congress MLA from Qila Raipur Jassi Khangura supported Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Badal for his transparent working. He said Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal would not be able to handle the finance portfolio in case the party stripped Manpreet of the charge and gave it to him. Khangura said: While the current debate triggered by Manpreet Badals statements in the Vidhan Sabha is no doubt internal to the Akali party and the Badal family,it has profound implications for the state. Manpreet appears to have discharged his duties with integrity and humility. He added: Whether this issue blows over or not will depend to a large extent on whether the Akalis have an alternative to Manpreet as FM. With a dearth of alternatives in the current flock,the MLA said,it leaves us with the alarming possibility that our deputy chief minister may offer to take over the portfolio. But,he said,Sukhbir would be found short on many parameters. He said though Sukhbir was an excellent resource mobiliser,this had been usually without any benefit to the state treasury.