Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced on Wednesday that the Shivamogga airport at Sogane would be named after former chief minister B S Yediyurappa as he was responsible for its construction.
The chief minister was speaking at a programme organised near Sogane on the outskirts of the city, after inspecting the ongoing airport work.
He said the state Cabinet had already approved the name of the airport and a proposal in this regard had been sent to the ministry of civil aviation.
The Shivamogga airport would have the second longest runway in the state after the Kempegowda international airport in Bengaluru.
“The works are nearing completion. It will be inaugurated in December after approval by the Airports Authority of India. It is being developed on a par with international standards, including night landing facilities and landing of large aircraft. The government will release an additional Rs 50 crore for the completion of pending works, including the extension of runway and asphalting of roads around the terminal building,” Bommai said.
He said farmers who gave up their land for the airport had to be compensated.
“The government will release the required money. The road connecting the airport and Shivamogga city will be upgraded,” the CM said.
Works on 3,500 km of state highways and 6,000 km of national highways had been approved.
Eight railway projects, including Shivamogga-Shikaripur-Ranebennur had been approved, Bommai said.
The CM said Yediyurappa had conceptualized the airport in Shivamogga in 2006 and it was approved in 2008.
The airport is likely to pave the way for tourism and industrial progress in the region, Bommai said. Works on an airport in Vijayapura was in progress while that in Raichur had started. A naval airport is coming up in Karwar, he said.
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