(Seen in the PhotoL to R : Walter Nandalike, M R Vasudeva, Richie Lasrado) M R Vasudeva -Airport Director MangaloreThe talk has been going on for almost two decades. But everything has been moving at a snail's pace. Much water has flowed down Chandragiri, Netravati, Phalguni, Shambhavi, Swarna and Souparnika ever since. Things have stood almost as they were.
With Mangaloreans having conquered every continent and country with their skills and interlligence for decades, we shouldn't have been still left with a mere table-top airport after 50 years of its opening. For long there was a talk of an entirely new airport coming up at Padubidri. That remained still-born.
Then came the idea of a new runway to be extended towards the western side, which would have gobbled up the entire town of Bajpe. The vested interests stalled it.
As all this went on at a snail's pace, the Karippur airport in Kozhikode (Calicut) and the Kannur airport came up quietly taking a large chunk of passengers from northern Malabar, for whom Mangalore was a convenient outlet all this while. Our elected representatives spent all their lives pulling each other's legs and in the game of one-upmanship, passing the buck on to each other.
A good 15 years have been lost in dragging one's feet over various tangles and disputes. But now things are looking up. At the helm of the Mangalore operations of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) now is a man whom we can proudly call our own, for once.
Being a well-travelled person and having worked in different parts of country, occasionally breaking into free Hindi, he can be taken for a 'northerner' at the very first encounter. But MARPALLI RAMAYYA VASUDEVA, originally hailing from Udupi, makes us feel comfortable with a typical 'DK-style' hospitality. He has a single-minded mission of seeing the dream of a modern airport in Mangalore realized as soon as possible.
He needs everyone's support. It is not one man's dream. It is the dream of the entire undivided Dakshina Kannada's populace, one that would win support from a lot of our brethren from Kasaragod in the south and even Bhatkal in the north.
In an exclusive interview given to Daijiworld.com, M R Vasudeva, throws light on some interesting, but quite a few so far unknown, matters regarding the expansion project.
Model of proposed new run-way at Mangalore Airport
"Efforts are needed from all directions. Everyone has to work for it. It is for everyone's benefit....." says Airport Director M R Vasudeva about airport upgradation, speaking exclusively to Richie Lasrado, Resident Editor of Daijiworld.com
In which year was it opened and who was the main person to have worked for it?
The airport was opened in 1951. The late MP Ullal Srinivas Mallya was the main person who was responsible for the setting up of the airport.
Can you please give us a brief on and the history of the Mangalore airport?
It started as the Bajpe aerodrome in 1951. The late prime minister Jawahar Lal Nehru is said to have arrived by the maiden flight to Mangalore. Initially only Dakota aircraft landed here. Later on Fokker and Avro began to operate. From 1983 onwards Boeings began landing here.
What are the improvements made and facilities added ever since?
The main improvements made have been the new terminal building, installation of runway lights, Very High Omni Range (VOR) near Kaikamba becoming operational in 1989, instrument landing system (ILS) in 1998, the Mono-pulse Secondary Surveillance Radar introduced in 2000 and many others.
The talk of Mangalore becoming an international airport has been going on for over five years. What are the reasons for the delay?
Probably the main hurdle was the land acquisition. The proposal for a second runway was taken up the Airports Authority of India as early as in 1986.
What is the length of the present runway?
The present runway is 5330 ft-long.
What is the stretch of the runway under construction and which aircraft can be handled by it?
The one under construction when completed will stretch up to 8045 feet. It can handle aircraft up to Airbus 310.
Does the runway under construction have any scope for further upgradation to accommodate heavier aircraft later on?
There may not be much scope for further extension.
Any information available on the number of Gulf-bound passengers boarding in Mangalore every day?
That data would be available only with the airline companies and travel agents.
Will there be a new terminal building?
A report said that a new terminal building is being proposed which will cut down the distance to the city quite considerably.
Can you throw some light on this, in case such a plan is under way now?
Yes, there will be a new terminal building. If everything goes as planned, the new terminal building will come up at the present Dakkan Park premises. The entire stretch of distance from the entrance of Dakkan Park up to the present terminal will be eliminated, thereby bringing down the distance from the city by about 8 kilometres.
What is the height of the new runway?
The elevation of the airport and the runway from the sea level is 337 feet.
When is the new runway expected to be completed? If all goes well, it should be completed by January 2006.
Is the current upgradation process going according to your plans?
Except for some hiccups like the problem of land acquisition, the work is going on schedule. There is a feeling among the public that the fee of Rs 20 for access to the visitors' gallery is not justified on two counts. One, the visitors cannot view the aircraft, especially children, who would be eager to see how an aircraft is and how it lands, two - the visitors have to wait in the hot sun all the time without any shade.
Do you have to say anything about this?
A new visitors’ gallery is being planned. It will provide much more comfort to visitors and full view of the aircraft landing and taking off. But this will be complete only in about one-and-a-half year’s time. Can you give us some details of the progress made and current state of affairs of the upgradation work? Excavation, digging, levelling etc. is going on. The laying of the concrete layer of the runway will be started by November 2004.
What are the hurdles that are still left to be tackled? Any acquisition or legal hurdles still left?
As already said, the main hurdle is of acquisition. While 190 acres of land has been acquired already, another 140 acres is yet to be acquired. Further, a lot of infrastructure like BSNL, MESCOM power lines etc. will have to be relocated. We need full cooperation from these departments. When the new runway becomes operational, what will happen to the old runway? It can be still used by smaller aircraft, besides being used as an additional taxiway for the larger aircraft for its movement to and from the present apron.
When the boundary wall is completed, how many families will be affected by the evacuation process?
Already 214 families have been evacuated. Another 68 families have to be rehabilitated. Lately union minister Oscar Fernandes has assured of his earnest efforts and personal interest in expediting the airport project. That's encouraging news to you. Definitely it is good news. The honourable minister, being in charge of programme implementation, has called meetings in this regard and he will certainly be able to use his good offices with the state government to expedite matters.
With the current upgradation under way, could there be a possibility in the near future of Air India Airbus 310 and Indian Airlines 320 landing in Mangalore?
Certainly. The new runway is meant for aircraft of that capacity.
What is total cost incurred so far on this project and what is yet to be sanctioned?
Rs 55 crore has been sanctioned by the AAI. The state government has spent Rs 12 crore and another 12 crore are expected from them. Besides, the state government will have to provide multi-lane approach road to the city at a cost of Rs 17.5 crore. In addition, the AAI’s plan for new terminal and taxiway will mean an additional Rs 20 crore.
People in the Gulf, especially NRI's of Karnataka origin have recently got together and are pressing the union government to complete the upgradation of the airport at the earliest. What do you have to say about it?
It is certainly great news. Efforts are needed from all directions. The airport upgradation with its spin-off effects will give a great boost to education, IT, banking and other fields of the economy of this region. The software industry will receive a big push upwards. But everyone has to work for it. It is for everyone’s benefit.
(with support from Rajesh Sequeira, Dubai)
Daijiworld News Network - Saudi Arabia Dammam, may 31:
