‘Is it wrong to be on time?’

Bangalore: Commenting on the delay in providing easy access to the airport, Bangalore International Airport Limited’s Chief Executive Officer Albert Brunner said: “Construction of the airport began in July 2005. All these years you knew that the airport work is going on. Suddenly you blame us as we are on time (in completing the work and beginning the operation). It is you who wanted to have the new international airport. I do not want to blame anybody (for the mess),” he said, speaking at a roundtable on Connectivity to the New International Airport. On BIAL taking over the trumpet interchange work from NHAI, Mr. Brunner said: “The National Highway Authority of India had selected a contractor who had never even built a bridge. We have taken the work, which was planned by NHAI three months back. Now it says that it wants to widen NH 7 and the project (designed by NHAI itself) not up to the standard.”
On the proposed high-speed rail link to the airport, Mr. Brunner said the BIAL Board has agreed to participate in the project with equity and the percentage of the equity was yet to be decided.
Reacting to demands by various quarters to retain the present HAL Airport as a domestic airport or continue its operation till BIAL becomes fully operational, Mr. Brunner said the proposal was not feasible.
31/10/07 The Hindu

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: Airports Oct 2007, New Oct 2007