After more than 10 years of delay, the expansion of the Coimbatore International Airport is expected to see a fresh start with the State Government forming a new committee to speed up the procedures.
The committee comprising senior officials will submit a report on the volume of land that can be acquired, of the 627.89 acres of land in the original plan, by December based on which Airport Authority of India (AAI) will work on the expansion plan.
An official, who was part of the meeting, said that AAI will decide on the nature of expansion that can be done at the airport based on the report of the new committee.
“In the report, the committee will inform AAI the volume of land that could be acquired. If requirement of land is not met for expansion of runway, other developments like construction of new terminal will take off in the first with available land,” said the official.
The formation of the new committee for the land acquisition was announced by Minister of Municipal Administration and Rural Development S.P. Velumani, who presided a high-level meeting regarding the airport expansion, on Saturday.
Chief Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan, Secretary for Civil Aviation Rajiv Nayan Choubey, Chairman of Airports Authority of India Guruprasad Mohapatra, Commissioner for Land Administration Mohan Pyare, Additional Chief Secretary to Government (Transport Department) P.W.C. Davidar and Joint Commissioner for Land Administration J. Vijaya Rani discussed the plan of action at the meeting along with other officials.
Emerging from the meeting, Mr. Velumani said that the committee, members of which will be announced by the Chief Minister, will speed up the acquisition of land through mediation with land owners who will be given the right compensation. He said that the formation of the committee was an outcome of a high level meeting held by the Chief Minister on Friday regarding expansion of airports in the State.
Sources said that the committee will have representation from State Government, AAI, land administration, district administration, and land owners among others.
Airport Director R. Mahalingam said that expansion of cargo complex was given importance at the meeting. The cargo complex is being expanded from 800 sq.mt. to 1,200 sq.mt.
Members of trade and industry bodies of the region met the officials at the airport on Saturday.
According to S. Narayanan, chairman of Confederation of Indian Industry, Coimbatore Zone, the delegation requested the Chief Secretary to continue with efforts to complete land acquisition at the earliest. They also appealed to the AAI chairman Mohapatra to improve the cargo facilities for the benefit of exporters and importers.
