New Delhi: Aviation Minister's Assurance Brightens Hopes of Mangalore Airport Cause

Exclusive from Rons Bantwal in DELHI for Daijiworld News Network
New Delhi, Sep 21: As the efforts towards the early upgradation of the Mangalore Aiport are picking up momentum, Indian aviation minister Praful Patel's assurance on Monday gives brighter chances to Mangalore airport in soon rising to international standards.
Rajesh Sequeira, who has taken the initiative by bringing together leading Karnataka NRI community leaders from Dubai made an exclusive trip to Delhi to meet the minister, with the help of Grace Pinto of Ryan Internations School and daijiworld.com Mumbai chief of bureau Rons Bantwal on September 20, 2005.
Rajesh has briefed the need and efforts taken by the NRI community. He has also informed Minsister about the assurances given by other national leaders.
The minister's assurance has given a bright ray of hope, and he has stated that he sees no hurdles in fulfilling the dream of Mangaloreans the world over.
"Mangalore region has been a place of rich natural resources, inhabited by kind-hearted people, who have to their credit a large contribution towards national development. Their contribution to the field of education has been tremendous. The people of the region have been living in absolute harmony and with their quality of working shoulder to shoulder towards all-round progress, they have the need of travelling regularly. Our attention has been drawn by several organizations like the Jaya Shri Krishna Parisara Seva Samiti and accordingly steps have been taken for immediate action towards the upgradatioon of the airport. The night-landing facilities are being installed, paving the way to make it an international airport."
This was the clear assurance given by union civil aviation minister Praful Patel to a delegation that met him with a memorandum in this regard, in the Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan in the national capital here.
Ryan Schools International's director Grace Pinto, hailing originally from Bajpe, where the Mangalore airport lies, NRI Forum Karnataka's coordinator in UAE Rajesh Sequeira, Jaya Shri Krishna Parisara Samiti general secretary Rons Bantwal and others were in the delegation.
The minister's attention was also drawn to the efforts being made by daijiworld.com, which is enjoying the status of being one of India's topmost websites by conveying news and information to Mangaloreans all over the world so rapidly, towards the cause of the airport. A special mention was made about the personal dedication and enthusiasm shown by the present director of the Mangalore airport, M R Vasudeva.
Many Kannadigas, when contacted to react, have expressed joy over this momentous meeting and said they were grateful to public-spirited individuals like educationist Grace Pinto, journalist Rons Bantwal, aviation maintenance specialist Rajesh Sequeira, Jaya Shri Krishna Parisara Seva Samiti, NRI Forum Karnataka, UAE and daijiworld.com for their incessant efforts towards realizing this long-standing dream.

Dammam: Saudi Arabia NRI forum initiates 'signature campain' in support of M'lore airport

Daijiworld News Network - KSA

Dammam, July 18: West coast NRI forum members from Saudi Arabia continued their effort towards the realization of their dream of having International Airport at Mangalore. With support of NRIs belongs to Mangalore, Udupi and Bhatkal they have successfully completed the signature campaign throughout Saudi Arabia and collected about 5000 signatures identified with the Passport number of each member.
The forum members held a meeting in Sea and Shore Hotel Al-Jubail on July 13. President of West coast NRI forum Sabandari Farooque and the vice president Bajpe Zakaria appreciated all the members who have made this campaign a great success.
The meeting concluded with the following future plans :-
- The delegation including Sabandari Farooque, Bajpe Zakaria, Vishwanatha Kamath and other active members will meet Bajpe Air Port Director Vasudeva at Bajpe on August 19. Copy of memorandum and signatures will be submitted and discussion will be held with regard to the progress and if permitted delegation will visit the site.
-The memorandum and signatures will be submitted to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and to the Minister of Civil Aviation at New Delhi through same delegation by fixing an appointment.
-The delegation will meet the concerned officials /organizations like Kanara Chamber of Commerce & Industries (KCCI), Deputy commissioner, Members of Parliament and will discuss the matter.
The meeting was concluded with vote of thanks by Narayan Bhat.

Dammam:Mangaloreans, North Kanarites Pitch in Support for the Airport Upgradation

Daijiworld News Network - Saudi Arabia Dammam, may 31:
The NRIs hailing from Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada district in Saudi Arabia are commited to unite together to achieve the goal of Mangalore attaining the International Airport status.
The first meeting in this regard was held on 20th April 2005 at the Sea and Shore Hotel Al-Jubail, by the West Coast NRI Forum - Saudi Arabia. The meeting was presided over by Vishwanath Kamath. The following office bearers were electedPresident : Mohammed AliVice President : Zakaria Organising Secretary : Shabbir AhmedSecretary : M. HebbarCoordinators : Mohammed Ali, Naveen Shetty and Jayram Shetty . The committee decided to collect all relevant data pertaining to the issue of the Mangalore Airport and to draft a Memorandum.
A fortnight later. the second meeting was held and it was further decided to conduct a signature campaign and discuss the further course of action.
The 3rd meeting was held on 26th May 2005 in Sea and Shore Hotel Al-Jubail and the attendance for this meeting was overwhelming. Hebbar welcomed the participants and Shabbir Ahmed present an update on the current status of the Airport issue. He stressed the need for the drive and initiative from like-minded people to work together towards this common goal with grit and determination.
The draft memorandum to be sent to Prime Minister of India was presented by K.Narayana for review. The members gave many valuable suggestions and felt that even though there are promises from the eminent politicians that the international flights will start from Jan 2006, the dream can only true if the central Government grants the international status to Mangalore Air port. It was very important that the Government should take wholehearted action in settling the hurdles of rehabilitation of people from the affected area, construction of new access roads etc...
Members pointed out that being Mangalore the only place in Karnataka which has a well developed sea port, connected by national highways and railway network, the up-gradation of existing air port into international air port would be a gateway to the outside world would usher development of this region. The members suggested to co-ordinate with all other NRI forums in the Gulf region and work together in order to achieve this common goal.
Members discussed the matter with the Indian Embassy consulate officials who were present in Al-Jubail Sharq hotel and they agreed to send the memorandum to Prime Minister’s office through the Embassy of India, Riyadh.
The President concluded the meeting with the following resolutions: -- The signature campaign will be carried through out Saudi Arabia starting from 27th May 2005.- The target date to complete the signature campaign is set for 9th June 2005.- The Bhatkal shops and Udupi/Mangalore restaurants will be the collection points for signed papers.- The memorandum will be sent to Prime Minister through Indian Embassy at Riyadh and to the other relevant dignitaries through DHL.
The meeting ended with a vote of thanks by Mohammed Ali.

Mangalore : Appeal to Allow International Airlines to Land at Bajpe Airport

Daijiworld News Network - Mangalore (SS)
Mangalore, May 23 : An appeal to grant permission to international airlines to operated through the city's airport has been submitted by the Karnataka NRI Forum (UAE) to union minister for civil aviation Praful Patel.
The Forum stated that since the runway at Bajpe was expected to be operational by the end of 2005 and it would be able to handle the Airbus 310 and 320 of national carriers Indian Airlines and Air India, the permission would be a dream come true for every NRI from Mangalore. The copies of the letter given to Praful Patel, union minister, civil aviation were released to the press.
The airline services for which the Forum has appealed to the Union Ministry to grant permission include : Sharjah-Mangalore-Sharjah (Indian Airlines) ; Dubai-Mangalore-Dubai (Air India) ; Dubai-Mangalore-Dubai (Emirates) ; Abu Dhabi-Mangalore-Abu Dhabi (Gulf Air) ; Kuwait-Mangalore-Kuwait (Kuwait Airways) ; Muscat-Mangalore-Muscat (Oman Air) and Doha-Mangalore-Doha (Qatar Airways).
Rajesh Sequeira, forum co-ordinator stated that Mangalore has a great inflow of NRI passengers mostly from the Gulf region, and there would be tremendous benefits in various fileds once Mangalore airport was raised to international standards.

Dubai:Fight for the International Status - Kannur Vs Mangalore Airport

Daijiworld News Network - Dubai
Dubai, March 14: The much awaited budget session of Karnataka State government has greatly disappointed the pro-Mangalore international airport activists. To everyone's dismay, no funds have been allotted by the state government for the progress of Mangalore airport. Though central government has allotted Rs40.60 crore for the expansion of Mangalore airport, Karnataka government is yet to rehabilitate the affected, without which the second runaway will be an impossible task.
Reviver of the dream – Rajesh Sequeira
Initiative was taken for the international status to the Mangalore airport during the early eighties. But it could not carry on perhaps due to the lack of leadership or support from like-minded people. Until last year the issue was not taken so seriously, but Rajesh Sequeira, an aeronautic engineer from Kulshkar, who was working for Jet Airways at Mangalore Airport revived the big dream. It was his initiative to see at least one flight to be landed at Mangalore airport from abroad, preferably from Middle-East. He started it in a very lower level, by meeting Mangaloreans at his works and bringing this noble idea to their notice, discussing the issue and requesting for their support to make thousands of Mangaloreans’ dream come true.
After he landed in Dubai for better prospects, he managed to bring like-minded people under one umbrella explaining the cause and possibility of establishing a Mangalore airport which should facilitate itself to land an international aircraft on its runway. 'Lot of ground has been covered, we are on right track, but we are yet to reach the target' he says with brightened eyes. “Anything is possible from now on”, he exclaims. “The support is good; there are lots of promises, but active participation is very less” he says while talking to daijiworld.
“Many people discourage me saying that it is a mammoth task and it is impossible to fulfill such a huge dream at the individual level”, Rajesh says painfully. “Either you should be a businessman or a politician to take such a lead. And I am neither!”
Rajesh has that continuing courage. “Despite of all the discouragements, my efforts are on. The positive thing is, there are many who appreciate and are ready to render their support”
“Whatever may come, we MUST get at least a few flights to land at Mangalore airport”, his enthusiasm speaks.
Sets of setbacks:
There are more reasons for disappointed of late and there are many setbacks at various levels of the progress.
Kannur Airport which belongs to Kerala state is just a few kilometres away from Mangalore. Leading businessman from Kannur, Krishnan Nair of the Leela Penta Hotel has taken the lead in order to get the approval for this airport.
Needless to mention here that Kerala has already THREE airports of international facilities and the international passenger traffic is high. All these three airports have received the international status today just because of their unity and a strong support from business community in the state.
There is a general thought. Kannur airport activists assume that if they attain the international status, they will get huge traffic from NRI Mangaloreans. They are ready to spend money, and they have very high-level political influence.
Considering all the money and might people of Kannur display, if Kannur airport gets approval for an international airport, it should be considered as a full-stop on the story of Mangalore airport activists.
Rays of hope, any?
That’s why we too must show our muscle power, Rajesh remarks. He has a few interesting suggestions to be made, including having a strong and an able leader. “Without the support from the local business community, no airport in India can get an international status”, Rajesh explains. “Mangalore needs a few good, committed leaders preferably NRI business persons who can take a lead”.
The director of Mangalore airport Vasudeva is highly supportive towards this mega task. He has promised his whole-hearted support and is trying to help wherever, in whatever way.
Mangalore chamber of Commerce chairman Srinivas, is also trying his level best to reach the top people to convince the need for international airport in Mangalore.
Imminent blessing, business-wise:
Mangalore is going to be one of the best tourist destinations in South India, if the airport projects gets a final nod. Already there is a talk about another IT Park apart from the existing Infosys setup. Lots of developmental works are underway in connection with promoting tourism in Mangalore.
Already planned mega projects like Nagarjuna and others will spot Mangalore in a firm place in India's map. Education sector is going take a big boom here, as more than 50% non-Mangaloreans are studying in various colleges, educational institutions of twin districts.
Need of the hour – unity:
To come anywhere closer to the dream, the most important thing needed is a good back-up from Mangalorean business community without taking caste, creed and gender into consideration.
Rajesh has a simple request with the Mangaloreans worldwide. “I am not collecting donations. I don't need it. But all I need is, if you are an influential person at any level, please come forward and contribute your source the fulfillment of this dream. If you are a Mangalorean and wish to give your moral support to our efforts, please send an email of your support at rajseq@yahoo.com

Dubai:Karnataka NRI Forum Meets to Discuss Mangalore Airport Issue

Daijiworld News Network - Dubai
Dubai, Feb 17: The NRIs of Karnataka spread over the UAE got together under the banner 'Karnataka NRI Forum' for furthering their common interests. The recent vital issue being the Mangalore International airport, which is now underway due to the pressure from different lobbies, needs a constant and regular follow up from the NRIs who will be greatly benefited once this project is accomplished.
At the recent meeting convened by the Coordinator Rajesh Sequeira, at the Winny's Restaurant in Dubai, he briefed the members about the latest developments and expressed his satisfaction about the cooperation and assistance that has been assured from all angles - right from the Airport authorities, to the local administration and political higher ups. He felt that this project would lose its momentum due to the various obstacles due to the instability of the Government and other unforeseen vagaries, but if the NRIs from all over, kept on putting constant pressure, the day to land in Mangalore would surely be close.
The forum comprises of all the representatives of the various associations and also great personalities from Karnataka which will be the common body to unitedly stand up for pressurising the above issue. The President of all the organisations belonging to Karnataka State around the world, who are interested in joining this forum should contact :Email: rajseq@yahoo.com Tel: 00971-50-8456858

Mangalore: NRI Team Visits New Runway Site to Study and Plan Course of Action

Daijiworld News Network - suburban beat - pics. Geekay
Mangalore, Jan. 12: A team of Gulf-based non-resident Indians (NRI's), with a keen wish to ensure expeditious upgradation of the Mangalore airport, in association with Daijiworld.com, paid a spontaneous visit to the Bajpe airport on Tuesday, January 11.

(Photo1)'Keep up the good work, I will do my best...", Oscar Fernandes appears to tell Rajesh
(Photo 2)Rajesh Sequeira submitting a memorandum to state minister P G R Sindhia
(Photo 3)Entrepreneurs Rohan Monteiro, Jerome Saldanha, Ivan Fernandes, Rajesh Sequeira and the Daijiworld.com team with airport director Vasudeva

Among others, Dubai-based Ivan Fernandes of Du Cont, Sharjah-based Jerome Saldanha of Modern Graphics and Rajesh Sequeira, coordinator of the NRI airport action committee in the UAE and local entrepreneur Rohan Monteiro were part of the team.


Rajesh has already done a lot of groundwork by submitting a memorandum each to union minister of state for statistics and programme implementation Oscar Fernandes and state infrastructure minister P G R Sindhia, during their visit to Mangalore.
The purpose was to make a spot study of the work in progress at the new, extended runway and find out ways and means to clear the possible obstacles by approaching the proper channels.

They also had a meeting with airport director M R Vasudeva, who apprised them of the progress in the runway work and immediate procedural requirements.
With the information collected, the team will report to the committee in the UAE so that a concerted plan of action could be chalked out.

The visit gave an opportunity to the NRI's as to the exact position of progress as well as the exact steps to be taken at the official and as well as international levels.

They were highly appreciative of contribution of the Airports Authority of India towards the progress of the project, which had to be matched with a similar support from the state government, especially in the matter of acquisition of additional land and rehabilitation of the displaced families.
Abu Dhabi-based entrepreneur and managing director of New Medical Centre group of firms Bavaguttu Raghuram Shetty, who could not join the meeting owing to preoccupations, has assured the action committee of his full support and assistance in following up matters at official levels.