Vijayawada: The Rs.340-crore allocation, by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, for the expansion of Gannavaram airport runway and construction of a terminal building, technically lapsed on March 31, but all out efforts are being made to save it.
High-profile politicians of Maharashtra had made all out efforts to get these funds diverted for developing the Aurangabad airport in the absence of funds allocation from Andhra Pradesh government for acquisition of land for the runway expansion.
With the Krishna district politicians showing very little interest in brokering a deal between the State government and farmers in the vicinity of the Gannavaram airport, the State government had allocated only Rs.90 lakh, though Infrastructure Minister Ganta Srinivasa Rao had promised Rs.70 crore.
05/04/13 The Hindu
