IAF to transfer land for expansion of Jodhpur airport

Jodhpur Civil Airport will be expanded and developed in two phases after transfer of 37 acres of land which was in possession of the Air Force.
An MoU to this effect was signed between the IAF, Airport Authority of India (AAI), Jodhpur Municipal Corporation (JMC) and Rajasthan state government, last week in New Delhi after the intervention of the Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.
Expansion of the Jodhpur Civil Airport was stuck for want of 37 acres of land in possession of the Air Force station of Jodhpur.
As per the MoU, the air force will transfer 37 acres of land to the airport, in lieu of which, same size of land will be given to the air force free of cost by the JMC, while the remaining 69 acres of land will be given to the air force as per the cost decided by the state government.

"As far as this deal was concerned, there was no hurdle, but the air force was not executing this deal for want of additional 69 acres of land as the total requisition by the air force was 106 acres," said MP (Jodhpur) Gajendra Singh Shekhawat.
"But finally after the issue was taken up with the Defence Minister, he called the IAF officials and ordered them to clear the transfer of 37 acres of land in their possession to the airport authority," said Shekhawat.

According to the Mou, the transfer of land will take place in two phases. 22.11 acres of land will be transferred in first phase, on which the airport authority will construct a chain link fencing around this land with associated security apparatus at air force side, whereas the rest 14.89 acres will be transferred in second phase.

Construction by AAI on this land will be in conformation with the air force colour scheme and in consultation with air force station Jodhpur. For this, the site plan will be prepared by the airport authority and submitted to the air force for obtaining NOC.
It may be recalled that the Jodhpur Civil Airport is under control of the air force and at present operating only on 12 acres of land and in absence of adequate land, the airport authority's plan of expansion and devleopmet was stuck since long.