Work to revamp the Bagdogra Airport is likely to begin from November, Airports Authority of India (AAI) sources said.

“The tender for revamping the airport was issued on September 16. The entire process would be complete by mid-November. We believe the work will then commence at the airport,” said a source.

For the Bagdogra Airport revamp, the Centre has allocated around Rs 1,500 crore. Infrastructure work, ranging from a new terminal building to parking bays and parking spaces, would be done in phases.

“In the first phase, around Rs 950 crore would be spent on the construction of the new terminal building, multi-level car park, some allied structure and some external development work,” the source added.

In Bagdogra, around 60 flights operate every day. Daily passenger traffic is 7,000 to 8,000.

Over the past few years, the demand to expand the airport — a civil enclave in contrast to the runway and air traffic control that are under the Indian Air Force — has been raised by various quarters, including the local business and tourism fraternity.

The existing terminal building, extended in recent years, is still inadequate to handle passenger traffic.

“It is good that the tenders have been floated to expand the airport’s infrastructure. The inflow of tourists to north Bengal is rising and a new terminal building of the airport with better amenities is the need of the hour. More airline companies can introduce their flights from here,” said Samrat Sanyal, general secretary of the Himalayan Hospitality and Tourism Development Network.

Sources in the AAI said that the work in the first phase had a timeline of 30 months.

However, the scheduled renovation of the Bagdogra Airport has led to a tug-of-war between the BJP and Trinamul.

While BJP leaders said the Centre took up a number of important projects in north Bengal, which include this airport's multi-crore upgrade, Trinamul leaders countered that the state government always backed such projects by providing adequate land.

“The Centre is spending around Rs 50,000 crore altogether for various development projects in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Siliguri, Terai and the Dooars. The infrastructural development of the Bagdogra Airport is a major project and will boost the development of this region,” said Raju Bista, the BJP MP of Darjeeling.

Siliguri mayor Gautam Deb, a Trinamul veteran in north Bengal, pointed out that the state government’s support helped execute these central projects.

“The state gave extra land for Bagdogra. For highway projects, land-related rows were resolved and stretches given to build four-lane roads. The BJP can't undermine it (the state government's contribution),” Deb said.