Congress MP Akhilesh Singh urges Hardeep Singh Puri for rebuilding Raxaul airport in Bihar

Congress MP Akhilesh Prasad Singh has urged Union Civil Aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri for rebuilding Raxaul airport in Bihar's East Champaran.

The construction of an airport at Raxaul began in the 1960s, Singh said, adding that flight operations began in 1968 but was later closed down in 1970.

The restoration of an airport at Raxaul, which is a is a sub-divisional town in the East Champaran district close to Nepal border, would serve the twin purposes of facilitating air travel for the people of the region and will be useful in protecting national security in view of increasing tensions with China which has growing influence over Nepal, the Rajya Sabha MP and former Union minister said.

"I would request you to kindly consider and start the process of rebuilding Raxaul airport under UDAN scheme so that passengers should have convenience in reaching here besides helping the region's development," Singh said in a letter addressed to Puri on Friday.

The UDAN scheme, which stands for 'Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik' introduced by the Narendra Modi government, enables air operations on unserved routes, linking regional areas in a bid to promote balanced regional growth and also to make flying affordable for masses.

People of Champaran, the land from where Mahatma Gandhi began his (Champaran) movement, are still waiting for the reconstruction and rebuilding of Rabaul airport, he said while emphasising that adequate land and resources are available for construction of the airport at Raxaul which would help develop the region.

The people of Champaran now have to go to Patna to catch flights, the former union minister said, adding that Mahatma Gandhi Central University is located at Motihari, the district headquarters town of East Champaran, from where Bettiah town, district headquarters of West Champaran, is also not far away.