Guwahati, April 2: Dispur today pledged to convert the site of a British-era airport in Barpeta district into a tourist spot.

The airport was built at Kamar Char under Bornagar revenue circle in Barpeta district in 1937 during the British rule but later allegedly set on fire by freedom fighters before World War II to prevent the entry of the British army in Assam.

AIUDF MLA Abdur Rahim Khan, while moving a private member resolution in the ongoing budget session of the Assam Assembly this afternoon, said according to the land records available with the government department, a 273-bigha plot at Kamar Char is still allotted for construction of an airport.

“So it will be a great initiative if the Assam Assembly adopts a resolution to move to the Centre to build an airport there. The airport will ensure fast transportation for the people of lower Assam. The aerial distance between Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport at Borjhar in Guwahati and Kamar Char in 160km. The aviation ministry allows construction of an airport at the aerial distance of 150km,” Khan said.

Khan also alleged that some portion of the huge vacant plots at Kamar Char has been encroached upon by antisocial elements.

Responding to Khan, transport minister Chandan Brahma told the Assembly that the question of adopting a resolution in setting up an airport at Kamar Char does not arise now.

“But I can assure that the vacant plot at Kamar Char will be converted into a tourist spot considering the history associated with it. Modernisation of other airports in the state is under way,” Brahma said.

Assam has three civil airports, one each in Guwahati, Dibrugarh and North Lakhimpur, while others in Jorhat, Silchar and Tezpur belong to the air force, with “civil enclaves”.

These civil enclaves and the civil airports at Guwahati, Dibrugarh and North Lakhimpur (Lilabari) are administered by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

“An ambitious modernisation project has been taken for Mohanbari airport in Dibrugarh district. The airport will soon have night-landing facility. The airstrip of Rowriah airport in Jorhat will be widened,” Brahma said.

On Rupsi airport now in Kokrajhar district, Khan said the people of the districts of Barpeta, Dhubri, Goalpara and the BTAD areas have been cut off from the national civil aviation network because of the long closure of the airport.

Brahma said revival works for Rupsi airport would be started soon and the defence ministry would take up its maintenance task.

The transport minister assured Khan that the inland water transport department would soon start the project of setting up a port on the Brahmaputra in Barpeta district.

Khan seemingly happy with Brahma’s assurance later withdrew his resolution.

“Preservation of the British-era airport site at Kamar Char will be very important for future generations,” Khan told the reporters here.