Scindia requests CMs to expedite aviation infra | Economic Times

Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has requested chief ministers of Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand and Karnataka to expedite matters related to aviation infrastructure such as land allocation for airports. Centre-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) has embarked upon development and expansion of airports in the country at a cost of Rs 20,000 crore in the next 4-5 years in order to meet the growing passenger demand in the country, the Civil Aviation Ministry's statement said. In his letter to Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Scindia said the AAI needs 370 acres of land for Belagavi airport's development but it has got only 348.6 acres till date. "An amount of Rs 7.55 crore is outstanding on part of the state government as VGF (viability gap funding) share for Regional Air Connectivity Fund Trust (RACFT)," Scindia told Bommai, according to the ministry's statement. Under regional connectivity scheme UDAN, financial incentives from the Centre, state governments and airport operators are extended to select airlines to encourage operations from unserved and underserved airports, and keep airfares affordable. In his letter to Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani, Scindia said 490.36 acres of land is required at the Bhavnagar airport to make it suitable for operation of narrow body A320-type aircraft. Scindia also told Rupani about land requirements for the development of airports in Jamnagar, Kandla, Porbandar, Vadodara and Surat. The Gujarat government has been requested to clear the dues of seaplane operation between Sabarmati riverfront and Kevadia, Scindia stated, according to the ministry's statement. The aviation minister wrote a letter to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, requesting him to provide 13 acres of land so that Shimla airport can be made suitable for ATR72 aircraft operations. Scindia requested Thakur to complete the infrastructure works at Shimla, Mandi, Manali and Baddi for operationalisation of these heliports at the earliest. "An amount of Rs 1.44 crore is outstanding on the part of state government as VGF share for RACFT," Scindia mentioned, as per the ministry's statement. In his letter to Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, Scindia said the AAI has a land requirement of 506.4 acres, which is yet to be handed over. The AAI requires 545 acres of land for development of Dhalbhumgarh airport to make it suitable for operations of A320-type aircraft, Scindia told Soren, as per the ministry's release. In his letter to Goa CM Pramod Sawant, Scindia said that "long back" the AAI had requested the state government to provide 20.48 acres land so that city-side car parking and other infrastructure can be constructed at the Goa airport. "Cost of acquisition was also paid by AAI to the state government of Goa. However, notification for acquisition was issued by the state government in respect of 15.50 acres only, out of which 9.23 acres is yet to be handed over to the AAI," Scindia told Sawant, according to the ministry's release.