Pune airport dream takes off afresh

Pune: A vast expanse of 2,565 hectares (over thrice the size marked for the original airport project at Chakan); state-of-the-art passenger and cargo terminals; two runways with instrument landing system (ILS) and night-landing facility; a star hotel; convention centre; golf course; business centre and entertainment avenues... That's just a glimpse of what the planners have envisaged for Pune's new airport project.
After seven years of planning, debate and disappointment over the scrapped Chakan project - the city's quest for a "world class aviation infrastructure"has begun all over again.
Signalling the fresh take-off of the airport dream was the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation's (MIDC) move on September 25, inviting tenders for a techno-economic feasibility study (TEFS) and a topographic survey and investigation (TSI) of the proposed alternative site at Rajgurunagar, which is 6 km ahead of the old site.
The alternative site has since been rechristened as ‘New Chakan', owing to its proximity to Phase II of the Chakan industrial estate, and is located 35 km north of the city, off the Pune-Nashik NH No 50. The TEFS will focus on the new project's overall impact vis-à-vis technical, environmental, social, economic and financial aspects - taking into account an estimated demand for the next 30 years.
29/09/07 Vishwas Kothari/Times of India

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Categories: Airports Sep 2007, New Sep 2007