The Government Order dated September 23 on sanctioning of funds to acquire land for expansion of the Coimbatore International Airport is a landmark decision that will benefit the entire western region of the State, according to A. Sakthivel, chairman of Kongu Global Forum, and Vanitha Mohan, its vice chairperson.
The Central government is only waiting for the land to be handed over so that it start works to expand the airport and the runway. The land acquisition issue is on for more than seven years and Kongu Global Forum has been actively pursuing it for nearly six years, along with other associations, they said.
When a new government was formed for the State, the Forum and other associations sought priority for airport expansion.
“Coimbatore is the catchment area for not only the entire western region of the State but also for a couple of districts in Kerala,” says Ms. Mohan.
This is the single largest allocation for the project and the Forum welcomes the orders. “Now, we will work with the government to expedite and complete the land acquisition process,” she said.
