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Govt Under Pressure To Reopen Begumpet Airport
Posted by Pradeep Sadanapalli | May 1, 2008 | 381 views
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Loading ...With the Centre setting a precedent by allowing the HAL’s airport to operate in addition to the new airport in Bangalore, pressure has begun to mount once again on the Andhra Pradesh government to lobby for the reopening of Begumpet airport.
On its part, the state government is game to press the matter with the central government. “We are waiting for the details of the Centre’s decision on Bangalore airport. Based on that, we plan to take the issue forward,” a highly placed official in the state government told TOI.
In the case of Bangalore airport, the Centre has been able to persuade the promoters of the new airport to review the concession agreement in view of a Karnataka High Court ruling ordering the same. It is now proposed to use the existing airport for locations that are onehour flying time away from the city. In addition, the old airport can be used to operate aircraft with a seating capacity of up to 80.
Chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy had announced the intention of the state government to keep Begumpet airport open for intra-state flights on the floor of the Assembly recently. After this, the state government took up the matter informally with the ministry of civil aviation. But the latter was not willing to relent in view of the legally binding agreement it had with the airport promoters.
“The order about Bangalore is very important for us. Once we understand the context under which the order was issued, we will be able to relate it to us effectively,” the official explained.
State government officials now argue that the second airport in Hyderabad would not render the Shamshabad airport unviable. “When the project was commissioned, the passenger traffic was just 3.5 million per annum. That was the benchmark for calculating the cost of the project and break even levels. Currently, the passenger traffic has already crossed 9 million. This means that Shamshabad will remain viable,” the officials said.
Pressure on the state government is mainly coming from public representatives from the districts who see air connectivity with the state capital important for developing their areas.
SOURCES:
Times Of India
Topics: Public Concerns, Travel |
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