Construction of the Surbung Airport in the Chin State’s Falam Township may face delays due to lack of budget, the Minister of Construction and Transportation U Sui Thio said.
“The construction of the airport is roughly 50 percent complete. We can’t definitely say when it will be completed, but we aim to finish it faster within our government’s term. The budget needs to be allocated faster in order to finish it faster. We don’t have enough budget at the moment so there may be delays,” said U Sui Thio.
The Surbung Airport will have a runway measuring 6,000 feet in length and 100 feet in width, with 500 feet in width on each side of the runway. The runway has been built to accommodate ATR-72 aircrafts, which have the maximum takeoff weight of 50,000 pounds.
“The union government handles the budget and they are unable to provide the requested budget due to difficulties. This is the most difficult problem. The Vice President himself came to observe [the airport construction] the other day and we have requested some budgets. If they can distribute [the budget] based on the budget situation, [the construction] can be completed faster,” said U Sui Thio.
A total of Ks 25 billion has been allocated for the Surbung Airport and it will be completed within the existing government’s term.
