Location for Mansehra Airport Construction Approved

[Abbas Ali]

Civil Aviation Authority selects site for Mansehra airport

MARCH 18, 2017

MANSEHRA: The Civil Aviation Authority has selected a site in Tanawal area of Mansehra district for the construction of airport.

“As the CAA has chosen 6,000 kanals of land for the proposed airport in Tanawal area and the district administration has got the initial tranche of Rs450 million from the federal government for the project, I am optimistic that the entire exercise of acquiring land and making payments to landowners will be completed in time,” deputy commissioner Iqbal Hussain told reporters here on Friday.

The DC said the revenue department had also included the land of two more villages in the project and restricted the sale and purchase of land there.

He said the government was in the process of fulfilling formalities for land acquisition and once all that happened, payments would be made to the landowners.

Mr Hussain said the people of Tanawal had been facilitating the land acquisition and survey for the airport project.

Source: DAWN

[Abbas Ali]

Site chosen in Tanawal for the construction of Mansehra Airport as seen on April 3, 2017, in PTV News report.

According to the news report, the new airport will create jobs for locals and promote tourism in the area. Hajj flights will also be operated from the airport.











Abbas

[Abbas Ali]

So far, funds have not been released for land acquisition and construction of Mansehra Airport. 1.6 billion rupees under Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) were allocated for the project from which five hundred million rupees were to be released during current financial year 2017-18 to the Aviation Division by the federal government.

Source: https://www.express.com.pk/epaper/PoPup ... e=20180115

Abbas

[Abbas Ali]

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has allocated Rs 250 million for acquisition of Land Construction/Establishment of Airport at Mansehra.

Source: brecorder.com

[Abbas Ali]

Delay in starting construction of Mansehra Airport was discussed during the National Assembly session on May 22. Construction of the airport has become essential after the launch of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the National Assembly was informed.

The National Assembly sought reply from Adviser to the Prime Minster on Aviation Sardar Mehtab Ahmed Khan Abbasi on the matter.

Abbas

[Abbas Ali]

Suspension of work on airport to be challenged

MANSEHRA: The lawyer fraternity has announced to challenge the suspension of work on airport project in Abbottabad circuit bench of Peshawar High Court (PHC).

“This is a highly important project launched by previous government. An amount of Rs280 million was released for land acquisition. And if this project is scraped, it would affect not only people of Hazara but also of northern parts of country,” Arif Tanoli advocate, a member of District Bar Association, told reporters here on Sunday.

He said that he was going to move a writ petition in the PHC, seeking restart of work on that airport project in Tanawal area of the district.

Source: The News

[Abbas Ali]

Court moved against possible scrapping of airport project

MANSEHRA: The lawyer fraternity on Saturday moved a local court seeking a stay order against the federal government’s plan to scrap the airport project sanctioned by the previous Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government in Sawan Mera area in 2017.

“The previous government had already acquired over 5000-kanal land for the project and also released an amount of Rs320 million but now the deputy commissioner wants to stop payments to landowners,” Basharat Abid Khan, the president of District Bar Association, told reporters after filing the case in the court.

A group of lawyers, led by Abid Khan, submitted the case with Senior Civil Judge Bilal Tanoli, who summoned deputy commissioner Mansehra and others concerned officials to appear on March 21.

The president of the district bar said that the federal government had written to the deputy commissioner not to pay land price to owners.

“It seems the government wants to cancel the project aimed at promoting tourism in Hazara division. The mega project was sanctioned by the previous government under China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects. We will fight legal battle against the move at all forums,” he added.

He said that landowners, whose land was acquired for the airport project in Sawan Mera area of Tanawal, were eagerly waiting for the release of payments.

Arif Tanoli, a lawyer, said that the importance of the region had increased after the CPEC and the construction of an airport in Hazara was a must to meet the requirements.

Source: The News

[Abbas Ali]

ISLAMABAD: Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan on Friday informed the Senate that the construction of an airport in Mansehra was only a political announcement as no funds were allocated for it.

Source: Pakistan Today

[Abbas Ali]

Payments demanded for Tanawal airport land

5/11/2019

MANSEHRA: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MNA Mohammad Sajjad on Friday demanded of the federal government to release payments for the land acquired to build an airport in Tanawal area of Mansehra district.

`The federal government should immediately pay dues to the residents, whose land was acquired for the Tanawal airport. If that doesn`t happen, we all will take to the streets, the lawmaker told reporters here.

Mr Sajjad alleged that the federal government wanted to do away with the Tanawal airport project meant to facilitate companies working on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and the residents of Hazara division.

`We won`t allow the government to abandon the airport project,` he said.

The MNA said his younger brother and sonin-law of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, retired Captain Mohammad Safdar, had moved a resolution in the National Assembly last year seeking payments for the land acquired for Tanawal airport.

He said he would raise the airport issue in the National Assembly.Meanwhile, the landowners warned that they would block the Kar akor am Highway if the government didn`t pay them for the land acquired for the proposed airport.

`The federal government has transferred Rs350 million to the official bank account of the deputy commissioner and therefore, the move should be given away to us without further delay,` landowner Mohammad Nazeer said.

Source: DAWN

[Abbas Ali]

Today, Standing Committee on Planning Development and Reforms constituted a three-member subcommittee to examine Mansehra Airport project.

Abbas

[Amaad Lone]

These projects are made so political people can buy cheap land then sell it to the government at higher rates for such useless projects.

How many flights will they fly to mansehra, once a week or twice a week ATR and for that they need an airport.

How far is Mansehra from Islamabad?

How many airports that were built by the CAA are closed and non operational.

I think Muzufrabad, Sindhri Moenjodaro Hydrabad and so many in Balochistan.

All ways to make money.

[Abbas Ali]

Mansehra airport project denotified, NA body told

By NAVEED BUTT on December 3, 2019

Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority has told the sub-committee of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Reform that Mansehra Airport project is not commercially viable and the government has de-notified it.

The sub-committee met with Muhammad Sajjad in the chair here at the Parliament House. The sub-committee discussed the Mansehra Airport project and a report/implementation status.

According to conclusion of feasibility study report conducted by Civil Aviation Authority, “Foregoing in view, the Board of Officers concludes that the construction/establishment of airport at Mensehra is commercially not viable for Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) under the present circumstances; where there is security of basic infrastructure for the industrial development and in the absence of interest from private airlines."

The PCAA additional secretary told the committee that 28 airports out of 43 are dysfunctional and 15 are operational in the country. He said that PCAA had attached feasibility report with PC-I of the project at cost of Rs 4 billion, in which it is clearly mentioned that the project is not commercially viable. He said that private airlines did not show any interest for flights to Mensehra.

“Establishment of Mensehra Airport was the decision of the federal government under the direction of then prime minister in 2014," he said.

The additional secretary Planning, Development and Reform said that PC-1 of the project was discussed in Central Development Working Party (CDWP) and its feasibility study reveled that the project is not commercially viable. But Rs 4 billion funds have been allocated for this project, he said.

Deputy Commissioner Mensehra told the committee that funds were transferred for purchasing land. He said, “We have acquired land under the law. Afterward, we de-notified the land before awarding it under the directions of the federal government. Now we would return back the fund to the federal government and the process is continued in this regard."

The convener and members of the sub-committee expressed serious concern why the land was acquired before the feasibility report. The said that the people could not cultivate their agriculture land for four years.

The sub-committee recommended that the fund should be held till final decision of the committee. The sub-committee also recommended that steps should be taken for compensation of affected land owners who could not cultivate their agriculture land for four year.

Source: Business Recorder

[Abbas Ali]

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Babar Saleem Swati has demanded early payment of the dues to the people, whose land was acquired for the proposed airport in Lassan Nawab town of Mansehra district almost five years ago.

"Federal government first released 480 million rupees for payment to landowners but later stopped the district administration from paying it to the landowners delaying the start of work on the strategically important airport,` Mr. Swati told reporters on April 21.

The lawmaker said 6,276 kanals of land was acquired for the airport in 2016 but the administration on the orders of the federal government stopped further land acquisition.

"As the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial assembly unanimously adopted his resolution in a recent session demanding an early completion to this airport project, the federal government should respect it and ensure the start of work," he said.

Mr. Swati said the airport would promote tourism and meet travel needs of the people across Hazara division and Gilgit-Baltistan.

He said the residents of Hazara division wanted an early construction of the airport.

“Since the mega development projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) initiative are either completed or still in progress, the project would bring a mega economic activity to the Hazara Division and this airport could better cater air travelling and defence needs of the near future,” said Swati.

https://epaper.dawn.com/DetailImage.php ... 21_181_008
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/824216 ... landowners

[Abbas Ali]

Secretary Aviation Division Shoukat Ali informed a subcommittee of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday that the government has formally shelved the Mansehra Airport project.

Director Audit Zahid Zaman informed the subcommittee that the land acquisition process for Mansehra Airport was initiated without having approved PC-I and a feasibility study. It was pointed out by the audit that an amount of PKR.450.3 billion was deposited into the accounts of Deputy Collector Mansehra in violation of rules, who neither made transfer of the said land in the name of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) nor repaid the amount so far.

Secretary Aviation replied that the project was initiated in August 2016 and payment was made on the directions of the federal government.

https://nation.com.pk/10-Jun-2021/govt- ... t-pac-told

[Abbas Ali]

In Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) 2022-23 seven-month period July 2022 to January 2023:

PKR 50 million allocated to acquire land for construction/establishment of airport in Mansehra/establishment of basic aerodrome facilities in Mansehra which lies at the most important strategic route of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

Abbas