The Hindu : Ministry puts a spanner in airport expansion

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 04, 2002

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Other States - New Delhi

Ministry puts a spanner in airport expansion

By Pranab Dhal Samanta

NEW DELHI JULY 3. All hopes of any worthwhile construction and expansion of facilities at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in the days to come have now been dashed with the Ministry of Civil Aviation preventing the Airports Authority of India from carrying out any major refurbishing activity.

In a letter dated April 12, the Ministry has asked the AAI to stop all such activity in all the four major international airports, including IGIA, as it would "adversely affect'' the ongoing process of leasing out these airports to private players and realisation of value.

The provocation for these directives, sources said, came after the AAI advertised for opening some new duty free shops at IGIA. Citing this move, the Ministry wrote to AAI, asking it to freeze all major revamp and construction activity, including the leasing of land for hotels, restaurants or other purpose.

As far as IGIA is concerned, the first major casualty has been its plans to build a larger new international terminal. This Rs. 800-crore project was proposed way back in 1995, and had apparently received the nod of the Union Finance Minister, last year. However, the files have not moved after that and officials are now ruling out its construction until a private player is identified.

According to an airport official, the existing international departure terminal has been designed to handle 1,050 passengers an hour, during peak time. It is already handling more than 3,000 passengers, per peak hour. Similarly, the arrival side is designed for 1,200 passengers per peak hour but has to deal with far more.

Also, the long-standing proposal to renovate the old domestic terminal has met the same fate. It has been more than two decades since any meaningful renovation was carried out at this terminal. Now-a-days, this terminal is used by all private airlines for departure and arrival purposes. With more such airlines slated to begin operations soon, airport officials believe things could simply run out of control.

Many approved activities like a flyover to connect the visitors lounge with the international terminal has little chance of being cleared for actual construction though its design is complete.

"No worthwhile construction has taken place at IGIA, of late. The last being the new Indian Airlines terminal which had to be made after the previous one was destroyed in a fire,'' said an official.

With the Ministry not making clear demarcations on what kind of activity can be undertaken while the leasing out process is on, officials are unwilling to take any risk. Sources pointed out that privatisation of these airports is also not on sure footing with the requisite approvals still to be obtained from various quarters. Summing it up, a senior official said: "Airports like IGIA are bursting at the seams and all work has been frozen. Whatever the benefits, the ultimate sufferer is the passenger.''

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