PESHAWAR, Nov 25: The NWFP government has expressed its inability to provide either land or arrange funds for a new airport in Peshawar or improving facilities at the existing airport, it is learnt.

Well-placed sources told Dawn that in the last meeting held to discuss the issue, the additional chief secretary expressed the government's inability to arrange either funds or land for any of the two projects proposed in this regard.

"The secretary informed the meeting held in Karachi that the NWFP government does not have the resources to provide funds from its kitty for the execution of any of the two proposed projects," said a senior provincial government official.

Under one of the proposals, the provincial government had been requested to provide 2,000 to 3,000 acres to the Civil Aviation Authority to expand the runway of the existing airport and improve other facilities. The CAA and the NWFP government, the sources said, also differed over the question of construction of a new airport.

While the provincial government is insisting on the construction of a new airport of international standards, the CAA is of the view that facilities at the existing airport should be improved as no marked improvement in the number of passengers for foreign destinations was likely to be registered.

The expansion project, the sources added, required about 150 acres for expanding the existing runway up to 11,000 feet to make it usable for wide-body aircraft and for constructing a taxiway having a length of 3900 feet and width of 75 feet.

Besides, eight acres would be required for constructing an apron for three wide-body planes and approximately 12 acres for an expanded car park for 1,000 vehicles. The sources said that an estimated amount of about Rs350 million would be required only to acquire land for the expansion project.

However, a development planner of the provincial government considered a higher amount would be needed, taking the plea that the land needed would have to be acquired on high rates for being located close to the posh University Township.

The provincial government, said the sources, had taken the stand that it would only facilitate the CAA in the acquisition of land for either expansion or the new air port project.

"But we have told them that we don't have the resources to provide funds from our own pocket to execute either of the two projects," said a source close to the provincial cabinet.