Guwahati: The new Terminal 2 building of the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport in Guwahati, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 20, remains non-operational even 55 days after the ceremony.
Despite the high-profile inauguration, construction work at the terminal is still incomplete. When Northeast Now reporters visited the site, they found workers continuing construction activities inside the building — raising serious questions about why the terminal was inaugurated before it was ready.
Why was the hurry? Why could the government not wait until the project was fully completed? With the Assam Assembly elections approaching, critics are asking whether the inauguration was driven more by political optics than public convenience.
“What was the urgency? Why inaugurate an unfinished building? Is this governance or political showmanship?” asked a frequent flyer, requesting anonymity.
On Monday — nearly two months after the inauguration — Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the new terminal will finally become operational for domestic flights from February 22. That means the terminal will start functioning 65 days after it was formally opened by the Prime Minister.
Even then, only domestic flights will operate from the new building. International flights will continue to run from the old terminal.
This raises further concerns. If the new terminal is fully ready, why are international operations excluded? If it is not fully ready, how will domestic flights begin operations safely and smoothly?
The Rs 4,000-crore terminal is designed to handle 13.1 million passengers annually and was projected as a major infrastructure boost for Assam and the Northeast. But instead of showcasing efficiency, the delayed operationalisation has exposed what critics call a pattern of headline-driven governance — inaugurate first, complete later.
For passengers, however, ribbon-cutting ceremonies mean little. What matters is whether the infrastructure is truly ready to serve the public.