3 months ago
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Airports successful Tier-II cities and territory office person proved to beryllium not financially viable aft the extremity of the UDAN scheme, Industry and Infrastructure Development Minister M. B. Patil said successful the Legislative Assembly connected Friday.
Replying to a question by BJP subordinate G. Janardhana Reddy, Mr. Patil said airports successful Tier-II cities specified arsenic Kalaburagi, Bidar and Shivamogga are not financially sustainable aft the completion of the three-year inducement play nether the scheme, which provides concessional airfares to passengers.
Across country
Noting that respective airports located successful territory and divisional office crossed the state are facing akin fiscal challenges, helium said the airport astatine Bidar is presently operating with fiscal enactment from the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board (KKRDB). There has besides been a request to resume operations astatine the Kalaburagi airdrome with akin enactment from the Board, helium added.
To amended the viability of territory airports, Mr. Patil said helium had projected to the Union Civil Aviation Minister that the UDAN strategy beryllium extended from 3 years to 5 years. For the consequent 5 years, the Centre and the State governments could jointly enactment operations successful a 50:50 ratio, helium suggested.
He besides said the State authorities is readying to present an aviation argumentation — connected the lines of those adopted by Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh — to make airports successful Tier-II cities and marque them financially viable.
Ballari airdrome proposal
The authorities intends to found an airdrome successful Ballari to service the regions of Vijayanagara and Koppal districts arsenic good arsenic neighbouring areas of Andhra Pradesh.
The airdrome task was archetypal projected successful Ballari successful 2010, but nary groundwork commenced aft the backstage steadfast associated with the task withdrew. In 2022, the erstwhile BJP authorities decided to instrumentality up the task with State funding. However, nary statement has been reached regarding the 900 acres acquired astir 15 years agone for the project.
Mr. Patil said the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) has present identified 2 alternate sites successful Ballari territory measuring astir 800 acres and 1,200 acres for the projected project.
Meeting with CM
He said a gathering of nationalist representatives from Ballari, Vijayanagara and Koppal districts volition soon beryllium convened nether the chairmanship of the Chief Minister to sermon the merits and challenges of the project.
However, the suitability of the projected tract volition person to beryllium assessed by the Airports Authority of India earlier a last determination is taken.
Lessons from past
Mr. Patil said airports indispensable beryllium planned with semipermanent foresight to debar repeating the mistakes seen successful places specified arsenic Hubballi, Belagavi and Vijayapura.
He pointed retired that the region betwixt Hubballi and Belagavi airports is lone astir 70 km. If an airdrome had been built astatine a determination betwixt the 2 cities, it mightiness person qualified arsenic an interior airdrome based connected rider traffic, helium said.
The Minister added that constructing the airdrome astatine the antecedently identified tract successful Ballari would necessitate gathering an 8-lane greenfield road and resolving respective different logistical issues. Land acquisition and compensation unsocial would outgo astir arsenic overmuch arsenic the airdrome task itself, making the enactment impractical.
Mr. Reddy, however, argued that the tract identified successful 2010 was suitable arsenic it would payment the ample fig of tourists visiting the UNESCO World Heritage tract of Hampi and the Anjanadri Hills temple, believed to beryllium the birthplace of Lord Hanuman.
