Ziro (Arunachal Pradesh), March 29: The defence ministry's target to operationalise the advance landing ground near the Apatani cultural landscape at Ziro by June this year has hit a land hurdle, though the black-topping of the over 1,200-metre runway is almost complete.

The Apatani Youth Association, an umbrella organisation here, has threatened to launch an agitation against the move to acquire nearly 15 acres of additional land to construct a civil enclave and the landing ground.

The organisation has refused to give away additional land, as they would require it to prepare a dossier to be submitted for World Heritage Site status to the unique Apatani cultural landscape here.

"We are not against the advanced landing ground but we can't part with more land as it is situated within our cultural landscape. Allotment of more land will shrink the current per capita land of only 400 square metres of farmers here. The Apatani cultural landscape made it to the tentative list of World Heritage Site status because of our unique practice of paddy-cum-fish and millet cultivation and so we don't want to disturb the unique practice," the president of the association, Taku Chatung, told The Telegraph here.

The Apatani landscape at Ziro comprises nearly 60 square km of area, of which nearly 27 square km is cultivable land.

It was included in the tentative list of 22 Indian sites for the heritage site status.

About 50,000 Apatanis - one of the 26 indigenous communities in Arunachal Pradesh - live in Ziro valley.

Chatung said the memorandum of understanding signed in 2009 had said the advance landing ground at Ziro would be upgraded, along with a civilian enclave, on 38 acres of land allotted earlier.

"But now the ministry is seeking an additional 4.8 acres of land for the advance landing ground while the Airports Authority of India wants 10 acres for the civilian enclave. We made it clear in a meeting in October last year that the AAI can construct the civilian enclave in a dilapidated building within the old landing ground and we will not give more land for the same," he said.

"The military needs should be assessed in the real sense. While there is an airport at Lilabari close by, what is the need for an advanced landing ground at this place?" a source asked.

The construction of the landing ground at Ziro - one of the six undergoing an upgrade by the ministry of defence in Arunachal Pradesh - began in October 2013.

An estimated Rs 158 crore has been allotted to upgrade the advance landing ground for defence aircraft as well as air transport for civilians.

An official of the military engineering services here, on condition of anonymity, told this correspondent that they were in touch with the Lower Subansiri district administration to clear the hurdle for allotment of additional land.

"Nearly 65 per cent of our work here is complete. We are trying to make it operational by June this year but we are trying to clear land issues with the help of the district administration," he said.

Lower Subansiri deputy commissioner Kanki Darrang said efforts were on to convince the residents and the Apatani community organisations to solve the land allotment issue.

The military engineering services official, however, said the advance landing ground would be available for civilian usage even if the additional land was not allotted for civilian enclave.

Local residents said the IAF would close entry of civilians during security emergencies.

"We want a separate civilian enclave within the existing land for uninterrupted usage by civilians here," said Narang Samo, another leader of the Apatani Youth Association.

As Arunachal Pradesh is planning to submit a dossier for Unesco tag next year, the Apatani community here seems to be caught between their aspiration for world heritage site tag and the country's security requirements.