7 months ago
1
The request for the operation of an airdrome successful Hassan, astir 190 kilometres from Bengaluru, has a agelong past of implicit 7 decades. However, the enactment has progressed astatine a snail’s pace, though the onshore acquisition began arsenic aboriginal arsenic 1966. The existent enactment connected the crushed began successful 2021, and has showed hardly immoderate advancement successful the past 2 years.
During the legislative assembly league held successful Belagavi successful December 2023, Minister for Infrastructure Development M.B. Patil, in effect to a question from Hassan MLA Swaroop Prakash, stated that the task would beryllium completed by 2024-25. Giving a presumption update of the project, helium had said past that the task had been taken up astatine an estimated outgo of ₹193.65 crore and ₹164.47 crore had been released.
Two years since, determination is small progress. In his latest reply to a question raised by erstwhile curate H.D. Revanna, who represents Holenarasipur, connected Friday (December 12, 2025), Mr. M.B. Patil astir repeated the aforesaid reply helium gave 2 years ago.
Responding to the question connected the existent presumption of the project, the curate stated, “So acold ₹193.6 crore had been released, and of that ₹169.73 crore had been spent.” In different words, successful the past 2 years astir ₹5 crore had been spent.
The enactment connected runway for the Hassan airport. | Photo Credit: PRAKASH HASSAN
In 1960s
The archetypal connection for the airdrome successful Hassan was prepared by the Central Public Works Department successful 1960. The Assistant Commissioner of Hassan acquired astir 31 acres and 31 guntas of backstage onshore and different 58 acres of authorities onshore for the task successful November 1966. In the 2nd phase, different 12 acres of backstage onshore and 42 acres of authorities onshore were acquired successful 1971.
However, the task did not spot advancement for decades.
The task received attraction during the JD(S)-BJP alliance, headed by H.D. Kumaraswamy. Former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda laid the instauration chromatic for the operation successful 2007. The authorities had signed an statement with Jupiter Aviation Services Pvt Ltd for the operation of Hassan Greenfield Cargo Airfield task connected the build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) model. During the aforesaid time, the enactment connected Shivamogga Airport was besides initiated, and it has been operational since 2023.
Agreement cancelled
However, the Hassan Airport enactment did not spot immoderate movement. The task proponent had planned activities, including play people and a hotel, and refused to commencement the enactment until the full onshore of 960 acres required for the task was handed over. However, the statement with the backstage steadfast was cancelled erstwhile the JD(S) came to powerfulness again with the Congress successful 2018.
When B.S. Yediyurappa became the Chief Minister, helium announced ₹175 crore for the airdrome successful his fund successful 2021. Karnataka State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KSIIDC) was the task implementing bureau and Ibrahim Sharief, a contractor from Tirthahalli, bagged the operation work.
Mr. M.B. Patil, successful his written reply to an unstarred question, which was not taken for treatment successful the House, stated that the enactment connected the runway, taxiway, apron, rider terminal building, and aerial postulation power gathering were nether progress. However, helium has not mentioned by erstwhile the task would beryllium completed.
