November 30, 2005	Wednesday	Shawwal 27, 1426

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PESHAWAR, Nov 29: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and Airport Security Force (ASF) are at loggerheads over a plot of land at the Peshawar International Airport. The dispute is hampering the airport’s expansion plans, sources said.

The two organizations, functioning under the defence ministry, lay claim to the ownership of a 34 kanal of land presently occupied by ASF staff.

The dispute is causing inconvenience to domestic and international passengers and they are being charged for utilising facilities on the premises of the airport.

The CAA charges every domestic passenger Rs100 and those boarding international flights are charged Rs500 each for utilizing airport facilities.

Passengers complained that despite paying the CAA charges, they were provided low standard services, particularly at the international departure lounge, while the officials concerned attributed the shortage of facilities to congestion and lack of infrastructure.

According to official statistics, about one million domestic and international passengers are airlifted annually from Peshawar, with an average of 34 flights a day.

The airport, which was commissioned before independence, was given international status in 1976 following which the number of ASF staff was raised.

Presently, about 400 ASF personnel, deployed at the airport, are residing in tents due to non availability of permanent accommodation facilities.

ASF officials argued that the force was raised in 1976, whereas the CAA was established in the 1983, therefore the aviation authority could not justify its claim to the ownership of the land on the airport premises.

“This is a lame excuse. The CAA already occupies sufficient space to undertake any proposed expansion plan,” an official said, adding that the defence ministry had issued fresh directives to the CAA not to raise the issue at this particular time.

Senior ASF officials in Karachi told Dawn on phone that efforts were underway to acquire land for the construction of barracks for the force.

Officials said that CAA had planned to construct passenger lounges and other infrastructure on the proposed site that would not only reduce burden on the existing facilities at the airport, but would further facilitate passengers.

“We can’t execute any expansion projects, unless ASF vacates the land,” an official said.

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