New Delhi, October 18 2008: Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has approved proposal of Manipur Government for setting up a State-run Cabin Crew and Air Hostess Academy in Manipur.

The Manipur Minister of Transport L Jayantakumar Singh said here today that the Ministry had issued a formal communication to the State in this regard.

The Transport Minister stated that the State Government had already decided to convert the Raja Dumbra High School in Imphal into the Academy, which would be named after Raja Dumbra Singh.

The Academy would offer courses for cabin crew, airhostess and airport management besides training in spoken English and other foreign languages.

After preparation of Detailed Project Report of the Academy, the State Government would place the proposal to the Union Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region for sanction of the requisite amount.

In view of the future prospects of the Centre's Look East Policy and the Indo-Myanmar Border Trade which would directly benefit people of Manipur, the Minister stated that the Imphal Airport needed to be developed into an international standard so that international flights could also land at the airport in the near future.

With the increase in domestic flights in Manipur, Jayantakumar Singh said that modernisation of Imphal Airport with night landing facilities was being taken up and it would be in operation in December this year.

Basic night landing facilities like High Intensity Runway Lights, Precision Approach Path Indicator, CAT-I Approach Lights on Runway 04, Simple Approach lights on Runway 22 and floodlights had already been installed.

The installation of five Solar Powered Obstruction Lights (SPOL) on the hills of Langjing, Nambol Chingphu, Heibokching, Phunal Maring Ching and Nongmaiching that were located in the circling area of Imphal Airport was also ready for the purpose of night landing.

Approach roads to the hills and construction of barracks for security personnel at the installation sites have already been completed.

For expansion of the Imphal airport, he further stated that the State Government had already acquired 512 acres of land and as it was not sufficient for an international standard, the State Government recently acquired additional land of 107 acres from the nearby villages, in the larger interest of the people of the State.

As requested by the land-affected people, the State Government also identified a land measuring 46 acres in the same Assembly Constituency of Naoria Pakhanglakpa for their resettlement.

On the railway sector, the Minister expressed that the construction of rail line from Jiribam towards Tupul upto nine kilometres had been completed.

Due to monsoon as well as the area being hilly, the progress of the construction was rather slow.

Since the monsoon is over, the construction work would resume soon, he added.

The State Govt was also ready to provide round the clock static security during construction works besides paying compensation to all the villagers affected by the National Project.

The Minister said that the construction was earlier expected to complete by the year 2012 and its extension upto Imphal by 2014, but it might be delayed.

The Transport Minister further stated that in order to divide a line between the commercial and non-commercial vehicles plying in Manipur, a State Level Committee headed by the State Transport Minister had recently been constituted.

The committee would decide the colours to be painted on the vehicles used as taxi services, school cabs, etc.

as practised in other States.

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