New airport terminal at Trivandrum ready but no end to roadblocks

Thiruvananthapuram: A 200,000sq ft modern airport terminal built in steel and glass with all advanced facilities is ready here. But it is likely to take at least another three months for it to be commissioned as the road connectivity is only halfway through.
The construction of the new terminal at Trivandrum International Airport was launched by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2006 and it was to be completed in June last year. The schedule was later revised to December as the work got delayed by labour dispute and short supply of construction sand.
According to officials at the Airport Authority of India (AAI), the construction of the six-lane road linking the airport to the national highway bypass is making little headway because of the indifference by state government departments.
The KITCO Limited (formerly the Kerala Industrial and Technical Consultancy Organisation) was awarded the Rs210mn contract for building the road, including a small bridge on Parvathi Puthanar canal three years back.
Officials of the state-owned consultancy firm say there was no laxity on their part and blame the delay on other government departments including the electricity and water supply departments which take little or no interest in removing their poles and pipelines.
21/01/10 Ashraf Padanna/Gulf Times, UAE

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Categories: Airports Jan 2010