Andhra fails to acquire land for Gannavaram airport

Vijayawada: Proposal for the development of Gannavaram airport is pending for a long time due to slow progress of the land acquisition.
The Gannavaram airport is set in 536 acres of land, about 20 km from Vijayawada city. The government has made proposals to acquire another 465 acres of land for the construction of the international terminal building, extension of runway, provision of approach roads for entry and exit of vehicles, construction of a new tower and enhancing amenities like parking for the passengers.
The Airports Authority of India is ready to invest Rs 100 crore to develop the airport because of its potentiality. So far, only two airlines operate to the airport, each one from Hyderabad and Bengaluru. Proposals have been made for the construction of an airport terminal with international standards, which include restaurant, reading hall, shopping complex, spacious corridors and other recreation facilities.
The Airports Authority of India and the state government signed an MoU in 2007 in which the state government agreed to give land to the AAI free of cost for development.
But, the local farmers are not coming forward to sell their land to the government because the price offered by the government is not satisfactory. As per the open market value, each acre costs between Rs 30 lakh to Rs 40 lakh in Gannavaram mandal.
But, the government rate is very low compared to the open market price.
04/10/10 Deccan Herald

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Categories: airports Oct 2010, New Oct 2010