Representative image showing an airport.
Credit: Pixabay Photo
Chennai: Over a year after announcing the plan, the Tamil Nadu government is believed to have zeroed in on a site near Berigai-Bagalur in Krishnagiri for constructing an exclusive airport for Hosur.
This decision followed a detailed study of the Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS) survey to assess the airspace in Krishnagiri district.
“The airport will be located near Berigai-Bagalur,” a source familiar with the developments told DH, adding that the precise land area required for the airport is still being determined. “The airport is to be situated between Berigai and Bagalur. Berigai is 25 km from Hosur, while Bagalur is about 12 km away,” the source said.
The selected site is also approximately 19 km from Attibele, the entry point to Karnataka from Hosur. The Tamil Nadu government’s move comes amid plans by its Karnataka counterpart to build a second airport for Bengaluru, with three sites currently
shortlisted.
Another source said Berigai-Bagalur was ultimately chosen because the OLS survey favoured it over Belagondapalli, where the private airport operated by Taneja Aerospace and Aviation Limited (TAAL) is located.
“The survey highlighted minor differences between Berigai-Bagalur and Belagondapalli. The government felt the former was a better site and decided to proceed with it,” the source said. “If it had been Belagondapalli, we could have coordinated with TAAL and started work immediately. But since this is a new location, we must begin from scratch,” the source added.
The chosen site is also close to the proposed section of the Bengaluru Satellite Town Ring Road (STRR) in Tamil Nadu, currently under construction by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). This road will bring Hosur closer to Bengaluru and other towns.
To proceed with the airport project, the Tamil Nadu government needs a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from BIAL, due to a concessionaire agreement between the airport operator and the Union Government that prohibits such facilities within 150 km until 2033.
The new airport in Hosur is also likely to cater to people living in many areas of south Bengaluru due to their proximity to the Tamil Nadu town.
Hosur is home to about 500 big industries and 3,000 MSMEs.