Mangalore: Airport Expansion Work Likely to be Delayed

The Hindu
Mangalore, May 25: The commencement of work on an integrated terminal building at Bajpe (Mangalore) airport of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) is likely to be delayed as the State Government has not shifted 66 families from the area where a terminal building, an apron, taxi way and other associated facilities have to come up.
Sources in the AAI told The Hindu that work on the construction of the apron, at an estimated cost of Rs. 19 crore, had begun and 10 per cent of the work had been completed. Work on the construction of the terminal building, taxi way and other associated facilities was yet to begin.
The AAI was finding it to difficult to proceed further with the work on the apron, as the Government had not shifted families from the project site. If the work had to be completed at least some families had to be shifted. The apron would come up in an area of 43,620 square metres, the sources said.
Tender
The tender for Rs. 86 crore (for the construction of terminal building only) was in the awarding stage as the AAI was in the process of giving financial clearance to it, they said. The work had to begin soon after that, they said and added that not shifting the families from the proposed project site would come in the way of starting the work.
The sources said that since rainy season would begin within a fortnight the chances of shifting families from the project site were remote.
Cost
The cost of these projects had been estimated at Rs. 147 crore.
The terminal building would come up in an area of about 18,220 square metres. It has been designed to handle 500 passengers at a time. It can handle four Airbus 310 aircraft and one Airbus 321 aircraft at a time.
Assistant Commissioner of Mangalore, S. Krishnamurthy told The Hindu on Thursday that the Government had made arrangements to rehabilitate the 66 families at Kolambe and Malavoor areas.
The families that would be shifted from the proposed project site had been given sites. Roads had been laid in the rehabilitation colony and provision to supply drinking water had been made. The families had been given compensation. Since they were constructing their homes on the sites provided to them, shifting of families from the project area had been delayed, he said.
All of them would be shifted once they complete the construction, he said.
Not shifting the families from the project site had not come in the way of execution of work by the AAI, the Assistant Commissioner said.