The civil aviation ministry, which has commended the Karnataka government’s efforts to build new airports in the state, has major plans for Mysore which it wants the state administration to approve.
Speaking exclusively to Deccan Herald here on Thursday, civil aviation secretary Ashok Chawla remarked: “Karnataka government is aggressively and ambitiously developing several regional airports. It is good and I hope other states show the same kind of spirit”.
Speaking about the ongoing projects and the proposed ones, Mr Chawla said while the work was progressing fast on the Mysore airport project, the ministry wanted the state government to first give more land for upgrading the airport and later allot some more land so that new allied projects can be started.
According to the secretary, the airport was currently being rebuilt on a 175 acre land so that it can receive the smaller ATR aircraft. “However, the ministry feels that Mysore airport needs further upgradation so that it takes pressure off Bangalore. The Airports Authority of India (AAI), which has taken up this project, wants another 310 acre of land so that bigger aircraft such as A320 can land there ”, he said. The ministry has written to the state government in this regard.
Mr Chawla said the Centre told the state government at the meeting chaired by finance minister P Chidambaram in Bangalore on August 3 that if more land was given to the AAI, more aviation-related projects could be developed adjacent to the Mysore airport.
“These include MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft), flight training centre etc so that even Mysore can become an important centre from the aviation point of view. For this , an additional 400 acre is required. There are problems in land acquisition, according to the state government, as railway line and National Highway run close to the airport site. However, a delegation of the ministry, AAI and the state government will visit the site by August-end in this regard”, he added.
The MoU for Mysore airport was signed on October 6, 2005 and is expected to be completed before the scheduled December, 2008 opening. The ongoing project includes development of a 1.7-km runway and creation of infrastructure, consisting of a new terminal building for 100 passengers, apron, taxiway, and a control tower, at an estimated cost of Rs. 45 crores.
On the Bangalore’s upcoming international airport, the secretary said while the airport project was progressing as per schedule, the worry was over connectivity to the city.
Mangalore airport
Describing the Mangalore airport as “a vibrant airport”, Mr Chawla said the AAI recently awarded work on extension of runway and terminal building. The state government has agreed to acquire 70 acre for this purpose and the work would be completed in less than two years, he added.
