Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials, on Wednesday, visited Boovanahalli near here to inspect the land designated for the proposed greenfield airport. The inspection has been conducted following the Union government granting ‘in principle’ approval for setting up 15 greenfield airports in the country, of which one is Hassan, early this year.
The team, led by T.S. Chandramouli, Executive Director of AAI, visited the 536-acre site. Speaking to presspersons, Mr. Chandramouli said the inspection was done to check the feasibility of constructing a runway and air traffic terminal. “We will submit the report for further procedures soon,” he said.
Additional Deputy Commissioner H.N. Gopal Krishna and Hassan tahsildar V. Manjunath were present during the team’s visit.
The first proposal for an airport in Hassan was prepared by the Central Public Works Department in 1960. The plan was for an airport with a capacity to handle 50 arrivals and 50 departures a day, but it fell through. During the JD(S)-BJP government in 2007, former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda had laid a foundation stone for the project.
According to the plan, the airport was to be built on 960 acres of land. The project included construction of an airport, a pilot training centre, an aeroplane maintenance centre, a star hotel and golf course. The State government handed over the project to Jupiter Aviation Services Pvt. Ltd. on the build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) model in 2007.
The government has acquired 536 acres of land and handed it over to the same company. However, the company has not started the project stating it will not begin works until the entire land is handed over.
