Patna's Jaiprakash Narain airport is hardly 2 km away from Chief Minister Rabri Devi’s official residence, the Central Secretariat and Raj Bhavan. So the state government is asking if the Centre wants these structures demolished to increase the runway length in the name of safety.‘‘Do they want the Sachivalya and Raj Bhawan to go? Why not just shift the capital away,’’ asks state Environment Minister Jagdanand Singh. As the Union Civil Aviation Ministry sticks to its demand for transfer of 4.5 acres of land to extend the runway and permission to cut 2,500 trees in a botanical park nearby, its stand-off with the Bihar government continues. The state has reiterated that shifting the airport 25 km away to Bihta near an Air Force station is the only solution.Citing examples of Agra, Baldogra and Gorakhpur, where airports are at Air Force stations, Minister Singh said the government is even willing to broaden and improve the roads to Bihta. ‘‘When Safdarjung airport in Delhi can go to Palam why can’t Patna airport be shifted,’’ he asks.According to the Patna Air Traffic Control (ATC), a minimum 7,500 feet of runway is needed for planes to land safely. Only 5,097 feet is available right now. Officials said a minimum of 17 acres, not 4.5, is required as a stopgap arrangement. Carriers will till then have to cut down on passengers taking off from Patna.‘‘Taking the Regulated Take Off Weight (RTOW) in mind, the load of the plane has to be reduced as the temperature increases,’’ an ATC official said. According to Indian Airlines, a Boeing 737 taking off from Patna has a capacity of 145 passengers but is carrying only half the number. An Airbus A-320 has the same capacity but can fly with about 100 passengers.Flight delays have been increasing with planes unable to take off when the temperature goes up, say ATC officials. Two carriers, Indian Airlines and Sahara Airways, have reported major revenue losses.Another problem, say ATC officials, is the hi-tension railway line near the airport compound which affects the Instrument Landing System (ILS). ‘‘Even passengers are advised to turn off mobile phones and stereos. And here you have a 33,000-volt hi tension wire close to the airport,’’ said an Airports Authority of India (AAI) official. During low visibility or bad weather, the risk factor goes up if the ILS is not working properly, he said.Extending the runway works, but ATC and IA officials say the only long-term solution is to shift the airport or allow only smaller and lighter aircraft to land.In February last year, Rabri Devi had written to the Civil Aviation Minister that the state was ready to give 6 acres in the Dhobi ghat area for extending the runway. Now the government has said it can give the land as a temporary measure but shifting the airport is the only alternative.
