Govt wants VIP enclosure at B'pet airport

Hyderabad: The state government has urged the Centre to allocate an enclosure for VVIP reception, an administrative building and a lounge besides a hangar for the state-operated chopper at the Begumpet airport.
In a letter to Union civil aviation secretary Madhavan Nambiar a few days ago, B Sam Bob, principal secretary, industries, said that it was necessary for the AP Aviation Corporation Limited (APACL) to construct a safe and secure hangar in the aftermath of the tragic accident of September 2, 2009, in which Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and four others were killed.
“Investigative agencies including the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and state agencies have emphasised the need for a fool-proof security at the hangar with VVIP reception, administrative building and a lounge,” the letter said, and also sought further land to build another hangar in case the state acquires another helicopter or aircraft.
Analysts said that they were unable to fathom how the death of YSR can be linked to security at the hangar area, particularly so with the expert committee ruling out pilot’s negligence for the crash.
The letter follows an offer made by the Aviation Authority of India (AAI) to the state government in December last year.
“AAI has allotted 8,800 square metres on the southern side of the runway at Begumpet airport to state-owned APACL for a period of five years at 50 per cent of the prevailing licence fee of Rs 2,941 per square metre per annum (PSMPA) subject to a annual hike of 7.5 per cent from April 1 every year,” said Begumpet airport director R K Singla. Singla said after receiving the letter from AAI’s general manager (land management) B C Das, he forwarded the same to APACL.
05/02/10 Sunil Mungara/Times of India

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Categories: Airports Feb 2010