Kolkata: Another airport in Kolkata! After a long period of lack of reform, there is finally a glimmer of hope. The second airport of Kolkata is to gain industrial importance in the state of Palabadal.

Survey of renovation work is about to begin. The state minister has also written a letter to the Ministry of Civil Aviation in this regard. There is hope that the Behala Airport, which is practically disappearing from the heart of Kolkata, can be revived.

Actions have started on whether the Behala Flying Club or Behala Airport, which is overgrown with jungle and weeds, can be rehabilitated to start air services there. The airport was built in 1947, just 8 km away from the main Kolkata. The process of restarting chartered aircraft and air ambulance from the airport with 1.4 km runway has been initiated.

After getting elected from Behala West assembly constituency, state minister Indranil Khan has already arranged for a drone survey of the airport. As the minister of state, he is also writing to the officials of the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, according to sources. With the change, the government has taken initiatives to bring the tide in the industry of the state.

State Industries Minister Tapas Roy has also given help to Indranil Khan in this regard. According to sources at the Airports Authority of India, critical infrastructure work has been held up for years due to lack of proper land demarcation, absence of boundary walls and illegal encroachment. Since it is mandatory to have a complete boundary wall around the airport to make it operational, this became a major hurdle.

According to the sources, the renovation work and all the upgradation work will be started in several phases. Demarcation of boundaries and fortification of the perimeter with walls fell within the initial stages of reform. Over the past few decades the Behala Flying Club has evolved from a pilot-training institution to a largely inactive airfield.

With no air traffic except for the occasional private helicopter, repeated efforts have been made to repurpose the airport by reviving the flight-training school. But it failed again and again. Will the plane fly there again?

Time will tell.