Plea to speed up Tiruchi Airport runway expansion work gets shriller
With the land acquisition almost complete, calls for expeditious execution of the proposed expansion of the Tiruchi International Airport runway is getting shriller by the
With the land acquisition almost complete, calls for expeditious execution of the proposed expansion of the Tiruchi International Airport runway is getting shriller by the day. With over 90% of the land sought having been acquired and handed over to the AAI already by the State government, elected representatives and industry players have been urging the Centre to sanction the proposed runway expansion from 8,000 feet to 12,500 feet at a cost of ₹350 crore at the earliest. The travel industry in the city had long been pressing for the runway expansion. “It has been close to a decade that the airport runway expansion is being discussed. Even Thoothukudi airport has completed the land acquisition but we are still waiting. The recently opened Visakhapatnam airport has more than 12,000 feet runway. The delay in runway expansion in Tiruchi is curtailing operation of bigger aircraft, better connectivity to to international destinations, and cargo movement.
This is directly impacting tourism, business, and growth of the city,” said S.A. Mubashir, Vice-President, Trichy Tourism Federation. In a representation handed over to Union Minister for Civil Aviation Rammohan Naidu Kinjarupu, a couple of days ago, the Tiruchi MP pointed out that 487 acres has been acquired by the State government and “enter upon permission” has been issued to the AAI. Another 7.67 acres is expected to be handed over shortly and the runway extension project was “well positioned for immediate implementation,” he said and sought the Minister’s intervention for early commencement of the “long-awaited project.” “Tiruchi Airport continued to record double-digit growth in passenger traffic, underscoring the urgent need for the runway extension. The runway extension will be a transformative project for central Tamil Nadu and enable Tiruchi to emerge as a major international aviation gateway; strengthen its position as a carbo hub and maintenance repair and overhaul destination, enhance regional and international connectivity, promote trade, tourism and industrial growth and make a significant contribution to the economic development of the region,” Mr. Durai Vaiko said.
Referring to a few minor issues relating to the project, Mr. Durai Vaiko informed the Minister that the district administration had commenced work on building a diversion road for the Uyyakondan Canal Road and the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Ltd. would soon shift power lines. However, diversion of the Uyyakondan canal, running on the rear side of the present airport runway, was not technically feasible as any alteration of the canal alignment would affect agriculture downstream. The State government, he pointed out, while granting the No-Objection Certificate, had stipulated that the runway shall cross the canal without affecting its natural flow and the construction of a culvert over the canal was within the scope of the AAI, Mr. Durai Vaiko said. Land parcels In a separate representation, Mr. Durai Vaiko requested the Civil Aviation Minister to withdraw two parcels of land from the acquisition process in view of the strong public opposition.
The BriefWire