Airport expansion delay to cost dear

Chennai: The expansion and modernization works at Chennai airport were delayed by a year because the huge quantity of rocks in the substrata had to be blasted in a controlled manner, said Sitaram Yechury on Wednesday. Yechury is chairman of the nine-member parliamentary standing committee on transport, tourism and culture that reviewed the project. "There is going to be an escalation in cost due to the delay and due to inflation. But we will not allow the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to pass on the burden to the passengers.
The AAI should go in for loans and complete the project without further delays," he said hinting that the committee would oppose any move to slap user development fee (UDF) on passengers. Yechuri also said that "the AAI is confident of completing the project by December this year or January next year. We want the airport to be of top quality." A senior AAI official said the escalation in cost would be minor. Other officials apprised the committee that 76% of the project was completed. All electrical works, including construction of a sub-station, were over. Airport expansion works include construction of two new terminals, a flyover connecting the terminals, power substations, car park and other ancillary works. In a statement, the AAI said the standing committee had expressed satisfaction over the quality of the works in spite of the constraints faced because they were being carried out in a brown field (functional) airport.
30/06/11 Times of India

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Categories: Airports Jun 2011