Memo seeks hand over of Koirengei airfield to state
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, August 19 2022: With the main objective to develop war tourism, Manipur government has urged defence minister Rajnath to hand over Koirengei Old Airfield to the state and submitted a memorandum in this regard on Friday.

Before the visiting defence minister Rajnath left Imphal on Friday, a memorandum signed jointly by chief minister N Biren, ministers and MLAs urged the Union government to hand over Koirengei Old Airfield to the state government so that war tourism could be developed at the site.

The memorandum signed by most of MLAs of both ruling and opposition was submitted to Rajnath Singh at the ancestral residence of CM N Biren at Luwangsangbam where the visiting Union minister had breakfast.

The memorandum mentioned that Manipur government wants to develop war tourism at the historic Koirengei Old Airfield, which was one of the most significant airfields during World War II, and sought help from the Centre in developing war tourism at the site.

While informing that Koirengei Old Airfield is currently occupied by Territorial Army (TA) under 57 Mountain Division, the memorandum apprised the Union defence minister that the unused airfield was utilised by Manipur Public School for performing its activities and as driving space for people before being occupied by TA.

Such activities, however, stopped completely ever since TA stationed in the airfield and no one can venture in the area now, the memorandum said.

The memorandum also informed the defence minister that the British developed nine airfields in Manipur during the height of World War II and those airfields played crucial role in the war and Koirengei airfield was most significant amongst them.

Had those airfields not developed, the British and its allies would not have won the war, it said.

According to the memorandum, Allied force fought intense battles in Manipur and Nagaland when Japanese force attempted to capture India and the war in Manipur lasted from March to July, 1944.After the war ended, Imphal War Cemetery was developed as an important tourist site and many tourists from Britain and Japan visit the state every year.

Ever since the coming of BJP led government in 2017, the state government has been pressuring the Centre for handing over Koirengei Old Airfield to the state and a memorandum in this regard was submitted earlier to former defence minister and present finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the joint memorandum added.

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