Nagaland: CPO urges PM to make ARTC vacate Dimapur airport land

Chakhroma Public Organisation (CPO) has appealed to the Prime Minister of India to ensure immediate vacation of Airports Authority of India (AAI) land at Dimapur Airport occupied by the Assam Rifles Training Centre (ARTC), stating that the issue has become a major hurdle to the airport’s expansion and upgradation.
In an open letter addressed to the Prime Minister, CPO expressed appreciation for his concern for the Naga people and for developmental initiatives undertaken in the State and the Northeast region.
However, the organisation said it was compelled to draw attention to what it described as the “illegal and continued occupation” of land belonging to AAI at Dimapur Airport by ARTC.
CPO stated that it was in possession of authenticated official records confirming that the Dimapur airfield had been formally handed over by the Indian Air Force (IAF) to the then National Airports Authority, now known as AAI, in 1987 for civil aviation purposes.
According to the organisation, the handover document was signed by Squadron Leader B.S. Bamra on behalf of the IAF, thereby establishing clear administrative ownership of the land for civil aviation use. On this basis, CPO maintained that the current presence of ARTC on the airport land was only a temporary arrangement and had no legal standing.
Highlighting ancestral land rights, CPO stated that it represented the traditional landholders and inhabitants of the Chakhroma region in Chümoukedima district, and underscored the community’s historical connection to the area. The organisation said that while local people had cooperated with the establishment of national infrastructure projects in the larger interest of Nagaland’s development, such cooperation should not be interpreted as surrender of their collective rights and aspirations.
CPO further pointed out that the Naga public had already cooperated in clearing private encroachments from the airport area to facilitate Phase-I of the master plan for development and upgradation of Dimapur Airport to international standards. In this context, it termed it unacceptable that a paramilitary force continued to occupy land earmarked for public utility and infrastructure expansion.
The organisation also alleged that ARTC’s demand of Rs.16 crore as compensation for what it described as “abandoned and decaying structures” had become the principal bottleneck in the airport’s development. CPO termed the demand illogical and in bad faith, particularly when, it claimed, an alternative and fully operational facility had already been provided to ARTC at Shokhuvi village under Chümoukedima district.
Linking the issue to the Centre’s Act East Policy, CPO stated that the stagnation of Dimapur Airport directly contradicted the policy’s focus on connectivity. It said the lack of land was preventing runway extension and installation of essential safety infrastructure such as the Runway End Safety Area (RESA), thereby limiting the airport’s operational capacity and its role as a key gateway to the region.
In light of recent ultimatums issued by various Naga civil society organisations and the stand taken by the State government, CPO urged the Prime Minister to direct the Ministry of Home Affairs to issue an immediate, time-bound directive to ARTC to vacate 18.8 acres under Phase-I and the larger 148-acre tract without further delay.
CPO reaffirmed its commitment to the progress of the State and the nation, and expressed hope that the people of Nagaland would not be deprived of development, trade, and connectivity opportunities due to delays in upgrading Dimapur Airport.