Chennai: The scheduled date of completion of the project to expand and modernise the airport was January 2011. In March 2013, more than 27 months after the scheduled deadline, the project remains incomplete. Innumerable delays and faulty planning have led to a cost escalation of 58%. Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials had in 2008 estimated the estimated project cost at 1,808.25 crore. This increased to 2,862.71 by March 2012, an additional cost of 1,054.46 crore.
The new domestic terminal opened last month after being deferred six times. "This reveals the magnitude of error in planning from the start of the project," a senior AAI official said. "Officials in charge failed to take remedial measures." The officials, he said, did not coordinate with the agencies involved or with airport users. "They did not monitor the project on a regular basis," he said. "They did not share the blueprint with aviation agencies or airlines."
06/05/13 Arun Janardhanan/Times of India
