PM Inaugurates First Greenfield Airport ‘Donyi Polo Airport, Itanagar’ In Arunachal Pradesh

Itanagar, Nov 19 Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Donyi Polo Airport, Itanagar to the nation today. The foundation stone for this airport was laid by the Prime Minister himself in February 2019. Work on the airport has been completed within a short span of time, despite the challenges due to the pandemic in between.

The airport, which is the first greenfield airport in Arunachal Pradesh, has been developed in an area of over 690 acres, at a cost of more than Rs. 640 crores. With a 2300 m runway, the airport is suitable for all weather day operations. The airport terminal is a modern building, which promotes energy efficiency, renewable energy and the recycling of resources.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister recalled his frequent visits to Arunachal and noted the grand scale of today’s programme and praised the commitment of the people of Arunachal for the development of their state. He also acknowledged the jovial yet disciplined traits of the people of Arunachal. The Prime Minister touched upon the changed work culture where he is establishing a tradition of laying the foundation stone as well as dedicating the same project himself. He also said that the launch of this airport is a resounding reply to the critics who tried to term the foundation stone of the airport as an election gimmick.

The Prime Minister urged the political commentators to don a new thinking hat and stop seeing the developments of the state with the prism of political benefits. He supplemented his point by mentioning that the state is neither undergoing elections nor there are any future elections in the state. The priority of the government is the development of the state. “I am starting the day from the state of the rising sun and I will end the day where the sun sets in India in Daman and in between, I will be in Kashi”, he said.

Prime Minister said that Donyi Polo Airport will be the fourth operational airport for Arunachal Pradesh, taking the total airport count in the North-East region to 16. From 1947 to 2014, only 9 airports were built in the North-East. In a short span of the last eight years, 7 airports have been built in the North-East. This rapid development of airports in the region reflects the special emphasis of the Prime Minister on enhancing connectivity in the Northeast.

He informed that the number of flights connecting Northeast India has doubled. “The Donyi Polo Airport is becoming a witness to the history and culture of Arunachal Pradesh”, Shri Modi remarked. Throwing light on the naming of the airport, the Prime Minister explained that ‘Donyi’ means the Sun while ‘Polo’ means the moon. Drawing an analogy to the light of the sun and the moon with the development of the state, the Prime Minister said that the development of the airport is as important as the development of the poor.

Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh Pema Kandu, Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, B D Mishra, and Union Minister Kiren Rijiju were those present on the occasion among others.