Residents miss old Hyderabad airport

Hyderabad: A fortnight after the closure of Begumpet airport in the heart of Hyderabad, residents of 18 housing colonies in the vicinity are complaining of a different sort of problem.
After three decades of being used to the sounds of flights taking off and landing and the constant drone of aeroplanes circling over the airport, residents say they miss the noise.
“I could count the hours by the drone of the aircraft,” says Pratibha Reddy (25), a resident of Motilal Nehru Bagh, which is adjoining the wall of the airport.
“Whenever a VVIP landed (Sonia Gandhi or Amitabh Bachchan) we could get a very close view form our balconies of the glittering receptions on the tarmac,” says Swapna 18. “Sometimes we even invited our friends to share the fun,” added Rajesh, 21.
since the ground and ATC staff of the Airports Authority of India and the domestic airlines have already shifted, licensed maintenance units have stopped clearing garbage around vast the premises since March 24. The runway and tarmac have lost their shine and recent rains have created water pools.
There have been encroachments from the Rasoolpura and Sanatnagar side after the AAI removed the electric fence, as locals stray with their buffaloes and donkeys. Just about half-a-dozen security guards on motorbikes keep watch over the entire 5500-acre airport area. The security agency officials say their brief is to keep trespassers away.
07/04/08 Daily News & Analysis

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Categories: Airports Apr 2008