Land row keeps Tirupati air terminal plan grounded

Tirupati: The Airports Authority of India’s plan for construction of an integrated terminal at the Tirupati airport is unlikely to take off in the near future, if the ongoing dispute over land allocation is any indication.
The AAI has accorded ‘in-principle’ approval for taking up works at the airport for upgrading infrastructure to facilitate operation of international flights after the international airport status was conferred on it.
The Rs. 150-crore project envisages construction of an integrated terminal with modern amenities for 700 passengers and extension of the runway from 7,500 to 10,700 feet.
According to official sources, the Civil Aviation Ministry, in the first phase, contemplates introducing flights from the temple town to New York, London and Singapore.
The AAI has already indicated to the Andhra Pradesh government that it needs 736.03 acres for the expansion project and also made it clear that the land should be handed over to it “free of cost and free from all encumbrances.” This has become the bone of contention between the AAI and the State government.
Of the 736.03 acres required, 429.34 acres is DKT land (allotted to weaker sections), 155.69 acres is patta land (private land) and the remaining 151 acres alone is government land.
24/01/09 A. Devarajan/The Hindu

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Categories: Airports Jan 2009