PAPPM urges Prime Minister to develop Koirengei Airfield as Heritage and Tourist Site

The People’s Action for Peace and Progress Manipur (PAPPM) has submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister of India, urging that Koirengei Airfield be developed as a heritage and tourist site rather than being converted into a military cantonment.
In the memorandum, PAPPM highlighted that Koirengei Airfield, constructed in 1942–43 with assistance from American engineers, played a decisive role in the Battle of Imphal—an event recognised by UNESCO as one of the most significant turning points of the Second World War in Asia. Alongside Tulihal, Pallel, and other airstrips, the airfield served as a vital supply base for the Allied forces, preventing Manipur and the North Eastern frontier from falling into the hands of the Japanese Army. The organisation noted that the airfield is not merely a military relic but a living testimony to world history, connecting Manipur to global events of the 1940s.
Drawing a parallel with Kangla Fort, which was restored to the people in 2004 after prolonged occupation by colonial and later military forces, PAPPM argued that Koirengei Airfield today stands at a similar crossroads. While Kangla’s restoration transformed it into a centre of cultural pride, reconciliation, and tourism, PAPPM cautioned that turning Koirengei into a military cantonment would restrict civilian access, create urban strain in an expanding Imphal city, and deepen public discontent rooted in memories of militarisation of culturally significant sites.
The memorandum further warned that Manipur would lose a major opportunity to tap into the growing sector of World War II heritage tourism, which attracts visitors from Japan, Britain, the United States, and other countries. Instead, PAPPM proposed that Koirengei be developed as part of a WWII Heritage Circuit linking Imphal, Kohima, and other globally recognised sites. Such a project, it said, could generate local employment through heritage tourism, museums, guided tours, and cultural festivals, while also promoting national integration by highlighting Manipur’s role in the global struggle for freedom and peace.
PAPPM appealed to the Prime Minister to ensure that Koirengei Airfield is declared a protected heritage site and developed into a WWII Heritage and Peace Park with museum facilities, memorials, and cultural infrastructure. Such an initiative, the group stated, would preserve history while transforming Manipur into a hub of international heritage tourism, symbolically bridging the gap between the state, the nation, and its people—just as the restoration of Kangla did two decades ago.