Strategic partner will be known by June: Kharge

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, APRIL 23. The strategic partner for the development of the proposed international airport at Devanahalli near here will be known by the middle of June, the Minister for Home and Infrastructure Development, Mr. Mallikarjun Kharge, said here on Monday.

Two bids, one by the consortium of Siemens, L & T and Zurich Airport, and the other by the consortium of Hochtief and Dusseldorf Airport, had been received and they would give their detailed proposals by April 30, Mr. Kharge said while talking to presspersons.

After finalisation of the strategic partner and financial closure, the work is expected to begin by January or February 2002. The airport will be ready within 30 months thereafter. Cargo transport will be operational within 15 to 24 months.

Mr. Kharge said the process of acquisition of land directly with consent of owners had been started by the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board to be ready with the required extent of land.

The Government, Mr. Kharge said, sent a project report to the Planning Commission about four years ago for development of mini airports at Bijapur, Gulbarga, Hassan, Bellary and Mysore to provide linkage to places of tourist interest nearby, but there was no response so far to the same.

The proposal would be pursued with the Centre. Meanwhile, the Government was also examining the possibility of developing them in phases with its own funds. This had to be done in phases in view of paucity of funds.

Gulbarga airport

Mr. Kharge today held a meeting with Mr. B. K. Das, Principal Secretary to Government, Infrastructure Development Department, and others, on the pending proposal for the development of a mini airport in Gulbarga for which 220 acres of land had been acquired.

The Airport Authority of India (AAI) felt that the land was not adequate and an alternative site had to be found. The meeting decided to acquire 500 acres of land for the project within a month after certification about the suitability of the land by the AAI officials. A sum of Rs. 3 crores was required for acquisition of land which could be made good by exchanging the existing land with the Karnataka Housing Board and the Gulbarga Development Authority.

As regards the Hassan Airport, Mr. Kharge said Rs.5 crores had been given for land acquisition and development. There was, however, paucity of funds, and it was under such a situation that the State Government had sent its Rs.170-crore proposal to the Planning Commission.

Mr. Kharge said private operators were not keen on operating services from Hubli Airport, though it had been developed.

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