The long-pending expansion of Dimapur Airport, the only airport in Nagaland, remains stalled due to land currently occupied by the Assam Rifles Training Centre & School (ARTC&S), prompting Member of Parliament S Supongmeren Jamir to seek urgent intervention from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India.
In a formal communication to the MHA, the Lok Sabha MP highlighted the critical role of Dimapur Airport in the state’s connectivity, economic development, emergency services, and overall growth. He noted that the airport’s expansion has been delayed for over a decade due to land constraints.
Jamir cited multiple official records confirming that 392.72 acres of Dimapur Airfield land were formally handed over by the Indian Air Force to the National Airports Authority (now Airports Authority of India – AAI) with effect from 1 September 1987. The transfer is supported by handing over/taking over reports, letters from the Defence Estates Officer (DEO), Jorhat Circle, Government of India communications from 1990 and 1991, and extracts from the Military Land Register.
A Joint Survey and Verification Report dated 29 February 2024 established that 148.58 acres of land, part of the 392.72 acres transferred to AAI, is currently under occupation of Assam Rifles ARTC&S Dimapur.
Historical defence records also indicate that land allotted to Assam Rifles near Dimapur Airfield in the early 1960s was temporary, and the force has already been allotted other lands in Nagaland for its training establishments.
AAI Dimapur Airport has already submitted Master Plans (1 & 2) to the Government of Nagaland for the construction of a new terminal building, expansion of parking bays, and upgradation of facilities.
These developments require the land currently under Assam Rifles’ occupation. Due to non-availability of the land, essential expansion works cannot proceed, leaving the existing airport infrastructure with serious safety and security limitations.
In his letter, Jamir urged the MHA to “issue necessary instructions for handing over the 148.58 acres of land presently occupied by Assam Rifles ARTC&S Dimapur to AAI Dimapur Airport, in accordance with established records, so that long-overdue expansion and modernization of Dimapur Airport can proceed in the larger public interest.”
The MP maintained that the issue is not merely administrative, but directly linked to the development, connectivity, and future growth of Nagaland, and called for urgent and coordinated action by the concerned central authorities.