Greenfield airport issue
NAHARLAGUN, Jan 15: Participants in a meeting convened by the All Papum Pare District Students’ Union (APPDSU) here on Monday welcomed the Hollongi greenfield airport project but served a 10-day ultimatum to the state government to rectify the error related to the title dispute over the land for the proposed airport.
“The Nabam Rebia committee constituted by the state government last year to settle the land issue submitted a controversial report declaring the indigenous landowners of Hollongi and Kokila as occupiers of government land. The report claims that the people are occupying government land for the last 15 to 25 years. This is wrong as the Nyishi community started settling in the area around 90 years ago, and the first government school was established in Hollongi in 1962 and in Kokila in 1964,” the land donors claimed.
APPDSU president Nabam Tado said the people of the area support the airport project but want rectification in the Nabam Rebia committee report.
Green Field Airport Land Affected Peoples Forum general secretary Likha Taji said “it is a happy moment that the public investment board has finally cleared the path for construction of the Hollongi airport.
“We are not against the construction of the airport but the report submitted by the Nabam Rebia committee is against the interests of the indigenous tribal people of the area. The report should be recalled immediately and the title suit of the land should be clarified to the people,” said Taji.
Among others, AAPSU general secretary Tobom Dai, former AAPSU president Nabam Jallow, ANSU vice president Tana Sushil Tara, ANYA general secretary Bengia Tada, representatives of the All Papum Poma Students’ Union (APPSU), former ZPMs Tana Puna Tara and Nabam Eka, and several landowners were present at the meeting.
The APPSU has also submitted a memorandum to Land Management Minister Nabam Rebia, urging him to reexamine the report declaring the indigenous tribal people of Hollongi and Kokila as land occupiers.
Meanwhile, MP from eastern Arunachal, Ninong Ering, has welcomed the clearance of the proposal for construction of the Hollongi airport.
Ering has been consistently pushing for the project and even met Union MoS for Civil Aviation Jayanta Sinha in June last year and urged him to expedite the project.
The government of India recently cleared the proposal for construction of the greenfield airport in Hollongi at an estimated cost of Rs 1043 crore.
