"The airport is beneficial for everyone, especially for ill people. It will also save us time. Our state has developed in all aspects recently. I am thankful to PM Modi," said a local at the inaugural function of Donyi Polo Airport, Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh.
The Donyi Polo airport will be the third operational airport in Arunachal Pradesh and the first in its capital city Itanagar, taking the total number of airports in the Northeast to 16. Arunachal Pradesh currently has two airports, one at Pasighat and the other at Tezu.
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 crore. With a 2,300 m runway, the airport is suitable for all weather day operations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Arunachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh on November 19 to inaugurate Donyi Polo Airport in Itanagar and Kashi Tamil Sangamam' in Varanasi.
The month-long Diamond Jubilee celebrations to mark the Battle of Walong, an example of bravery and sacrifice by the Army against the Chinese aggression in Eastern Arunachal Pradesh, culminated at Walong on Wednesday.
The mela was organised on Wednesday, the aim of which was to familiarise the public with the Indian Army and to encourage a sense of belongingness and togetherness.
An earthquake of magnitude 5.7 on the Ritcher scale occurred in West Siang of Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday, according to the National Center for Seismology.