Air cargo complex caught between two agencies?

AAI plans a complex by making modifications to old terminal

February 05, 2013 01:00 pm | Updated 01:00 pm IST - VISAKHAPATNAM

Lack of understanding and coordination between two government agencies is said to be coming in the way of development of the proposed integrated air cargo complex at Visakhapatnam Airport.

Airports Authority of India (AAI), a Central Government organisation, is the owner of the land and buildings on which the airport is located. AP Trade Promotion Corporation (APTPC), a State government organisation, is the custodian of international cargo operations.

It’s learnt that the APTPC, which has a lot of experience and expertise in the design and construction of air cargo complexes, had offered to take up the construction of a new integrated cargo complex in place of the old terminal building at the airport. The APTPC had even expressed its readiness to invest funds in construction of the building and procurement of scanning machines but the AAI was not willing to take up the offer.

The AAI had planned to develop an integrated cargo complex by making certain modifications to the old terminal building and setting up cold storages.

This is being delayed reportedly due to paucity of funds. Then, what’s preventing AAI from entrusting the development of the integrated cargo complex to the government agency which has expertise in it? The AAI is said to be averse to giving the contract to APTPC as it owed some dues.

The APTPC Manager Srimannarayana Rao was overheard telling the Airport Director K. Srinivasa Rao that the APTPC had cleared its dues payable to the AAI at the Hyderabad Airport, at a round table of air exports, convened by the Airports Travellers Association (India), in Visakhapatnam on Monday. GSEC Limited Director Samir Mankad underlined the need to design and construct a new integrated cargo complex with all the required facilities so that the export requirements could be taken care of for the next 10 years. “As a State government organisation, we can represent to the Government of India and secure grants for construction of the integrated cargo complex,” Mr. Srimannarayana Rao told The Hindu when asked after the meeting as to how the APTPC could raise funds for construction of a modern integrated cargo complex.

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