Newly appointed Ladakh Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra on Wednesday reviewed the functioning of Kargil airport and sought a detailed report on the scope of its possible expansion.Kargil airport is strategically considered an important airport in the region.
During the visit, Kundra was briefed by the Commanding Officer on operational and infrastructural aspects, officials said. The chief secretary directed the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Kargil, to submit a detailed report along with a map highlighting the current status of the airport and the scope for possible boundary expansion.
The chief secretary also visited Darchiks village, home to the indigenous Dard Aryan community, where he interacted with local residents and stakeholders. Local representatives apprised Kundra of the village’s rich cultural heritage, history, unique identity, community life and traditional food practices.
Nominated Councillor Gurmit Rigzen submitted a memorandum highlighting key demands, including the unification of Aryan valley areas in Kargil and Leh districts under a single district, establishment of a Buddhist sarai at Kargil headquarters, and construction of a tribal model hostel in Aryan Valley to promote education.Other important demands included establishment of an Aryan Cultural Centre in Leh and creation of a separate Panchayat Halqa for Darchik.
Addressing the gathering, Kundra expressed appreciation for the region’s cultural and linguistic diversity and lauded the community for preserving its heritage. He assured that all issues raised would be carefully examined and necessary action taken.
Kargil Airport is essentially a military airfield in Kargil district 6 km away from Kargil and 217 km () from Leh. It is one of two airports in the union territory of Ladakh. The airport expansion plans have been formulated few years and it was earlier envisaged for operation of commercial jets by the end of 2024.
The airport was built by the State Government of Jammu and Kashmir in 1996 for civilian operations.and was leased to the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Kargil rose to prominence in the late 1990s as the site of conflict with Pakistan during Kargil war. AAI transferred the operational control and maintenance to Indian Air Force (IAF) because the airport was vulnerable to shelling by Pakistani forces.
The civil enclave at the airfield is managed by the state government. The terminal building has the capacity to handle 100 peak hour passengers at a time. It was built by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) at a cost of 350 million Rupees, initially for civilian use but was transferred to the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 2003 after it was damaged in the Kargil War in 1999.
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