Aug. 22: The Airports Authority of India has announced that Bagdogra will now be manned by an officer of lower rank, which has put a cloud on the status of the airport and triggered fears that there might be a clamp on funds for expansion projects.

A June 18 notice from the AAI said the airport, which has been so long run by a Grade III director (joint general manager or a deputy general manager), will now be under a Grade IV director (an assistant general manager or senior manager). Sources in Bagdogra, a civil enclave inside an IAF station, said the rank of the director reflected the status of the airport. “For example Grade I airport will always have a Grade I officer as director. Similar is the case for grades II, III, and IV,” said a source.

The Bagdogra authorities fear that a slash in the director’s status would mean that all development projects at the airport that caters for four states and three countries will be stalled, an apprehension that has been brushed aside by the AAI. “The status of the Bagdogra airport has not been downgraded,” an AAI official said over the phone from Delhi.

Explaining the notice, an AAI official from the Northeast said a decision had been taken to replace Bagdogra airport director K.K. Bhowmik, a Grade III official, with a Grade IV official because of the under-performance of the incumbent.

“However, Bhowmik had requested that he be allowed to continue till December at Bagdogra airport and it has been granted,” he said. “A decision on his posting will be taken after December.”

The Bagdogra authorities, however, have denied the charges of under-performance (see chart).

Bagdogra comes under the AAI’s Northeast jurisdiction.

The official claimed that the downgrade in rank of the officer in charge of the airport would not affect passenger facilities or development projects. “However, the authority of the official in financial and administrative matters will be reduced, although not significantly,” he said.

Bagdogra sources said this would mean that the in-charge of the airport would have to depend more on the AAI’s regional officer posted in Guwahati for approvals of any financial grants or projects.

A downgrade of the topmost administrative post occurs, Bagdogra sources said, when an airport under-performs in terms number of passengers or flights and the volume of cargo. But Bagdogra authorities said there was no question of under-performing since there has been a significant rise in passenger traffic, both national and international, in the past one year. (See chart on Page 1)

Not only that, Bagdogra enjoys the status of a customs airport with limited international facility. One flight of the Druk Airways operate between Paro in Bhutan and Bangkok via Bagdogra twice a week.

Those in Bangladesh’s Rangpur and Maimansingh districts often avail themselves of Bagdogra’s services, after coming through the Chengrabandha land customs station in Cooch Behar, to travel to Calcutta, Delhi and Mumbai. People from Nepal also use the airport to travel across India and back. More than eight flights operate from the airport, 15km from Siliguri, everyday.

Besides Bengal, Bagdogra also caters for Sikkim, Bihar and lower Assam.

Airport director Bhowmik refused comment on the status change of the officer in charge.

Sources at the Bagdogra airport said it was passing through a transitional phase and slash in status of the in-charge at this stage was not welcoming. “Nearly 13 acres of land has been handed over by the administration to the AAI for extension of the runway to introduce the Instrumental Landing System (ILS) for night landing. Besides, a master plan, which includes the construction of a hanger and extended aprons, have been chalked out,” the source said. The tour agencies have come down heavily on the status downgrade. In a letter to civil aviation minister Vayalar Ravi, the Eastern Himalaya Travel and Tour Operators’ Association have demanded that Bagdogra’s status be revoked and its name changed to Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore International Airport.

“The airport is strategically located and serves the people of Bengal, Sikkim, Bihar and Assam. Hundreds from Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh also avail of services of Bagdogra,” said Samrat Sanyal, the president of the association.

“We feel this decision and its consequences will severely hit the region in terms of revenue, particularly the tourism sector. If facilities are not extended or improved in the future, as is apprehended, it will affect movement of tourists and people in general,” Sanyal said.