Assam : Villagers protest against Rupsi airport expansion

Residents of first and second blocks of Lalkura village on January 3  protested against the Dhubri district administration opposing the acquisition of their lands for the expansion of Rupsi airport.

According to reports , the villagers drove away the government officials while they were measuring the land.

The villagers claimed that the expansion of airport would severely affect their livelihood and made it clear that would not compromise on their lands.

The Rupsi Airport in Assam’s Dhubri district became operational after 38 years on May 8, 2021 with the landing of the inaugural Flybig flight at the airport from Guwahati Airport.

Rupsi airport in lower Assam is a World War II era airstrip, which is operated and maintained by the Airports Authority of India. It is spread over 337 acres and has a terminal building of 3,500 sq mt with a peak passenger handling capacity of 250.
It has a single runway with two parking bays for ATR-72 type aircraft.

The airport is catering to maximum passengers from Kokrajhar, Dhubri, Goalpara and Bongaigaon districts of Assam, and Cooch Behar and Aliduarpur districts of West Bengal, besides parts of Bhutan.

People visiting various historical and religious places such as Gauripur Rajbari, Gurudwara Shri Guru Tegh Bahadur Sahi, Dhubri, Ramona National Park and Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary, among others make use of the services of the airport.
The Rupsi Airport has provided connectivity to the locality which has boosted tourism and trade in the region.