Mizoram mulls handing over Lengpui Airport to AAI

Aizawl: The new Mizoram government headed by chief minister Lalduhoma is mulling to hand over the state’s lone airport in Lengpui near Aizawl to the Airport Authority of India (AAI), an official said.

A meeting of the council of ministers held on December 14 decided that the state government would take steps to hand over the Lengpui airport to the AAI, the official said.

Similarly, the meeting also decided that the government will find ways to hand over the lone Zoram Medical College (ZMC) to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, he said.

The Lengpui airport and ZMC are owned and maintained by the state government.

Lengpui is located about 29 km west of Aizawl, while ZMC is located at Falkawn about 16 km from the state capital.

The state government under the initiative of Home Minister K. Sapdanga has recently removed the dropping zone reserved exclusively for VIPs in Lengpui airport and hence opened it for the public.

Lalduhoma had earlier said that the new government would go for privatization and disinvestment to tide over the acute financial crisis being faced by the state government.

The new government believes that a small state like Mizoram having only limited sources of income can ill-afford to maintain the airport as its maintenance is extremely expensive, officials said.

The state government also scrapped the resource mobilisation department established by the previous Mizo National Front (MNF) government. Instead, the Mizoram Resource Mobilisation Committee (MRMC) was constituted to undertake the task of enhancing the state’s resources.

Lalduhoma, who also holds planning and programme implementation and finance departments, is chairman of the MRMC while former state chief secretary and retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Haukhuma Hauzel was appointed as vice chairman.

Hauzel is placed in the rank of a minister of state and will draw a monthly salary of Re 1.