The Tamil Nadu government had given administrative sanction to acquire 614.33 acres of land to expand the Madurai airport, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi said, laying the foundation stone for a terminal building here on Saturday.
The government had requested the Civil Aviation Ministry to share the cost of Rs 110 crore for the acquisition. Cost-sharing was not a pre-condition, but the government expected the Ministry to extend “50 per cent cooperation for the project.”
Stating that the Sethusamudram Ship Channel Project could have become a reality by last year but for hindrance created by certain forces, the Chief Minister said similar obstacles could crop up for the airport also. “People would try to stall this also in the interest of the poor and farmers,” he said with a tinge of sarcasm.
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the government were ready to go all out, even by laying down lives, to aid farmers. Mr. Karunanidhi said the country required necessary infrastructure to face global competition in future.
On the country’s development under the United Progressive Alliance regime, he said: “The sun [the DMK] is giving light for the world and the ‘hand’ [the Congress] has lit it.” He sought support from the “hammer and sickle” [the Left parties] too.
Praful Patel, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, promised that the Madurai airport would become an international one. “The day the terminal is inaugurated an international flight will land here.” Stating that Tamil Nadu was the only State to get three airports out of 35 non-metro airports that were being upgraded or modernised, he attributed it to the efforts of the Chief Minister.
Airports Authority of India Chairman K. Ramalingam said the groundwork for the expansion of the Chennai airport had begun; work would start soon.
The Chief Minister also laid the foundation stone for two information technology parks that would come up at Ilanthaikulam and Vadapalanji on the city’s outskirts. The Union government has accorded special economic zone status for both.
The park at Ilandaikulam is to be on 28.91 acres and the one at Vadapalanji on 239.58 acres. ELCOT will develop an IT building with an area of one million square feet in 10 acres of land at a cost of Rs. 300 crore on public-private partnership basis. It will develop common infrastructure at a cost of Rs. 30 crore.
Chief minister M Karunanidhi on Saturday laid the foundation stone for a new integrated terminal building at the Madurai airport, a facility that would handle 500 passengers at a time.
Airport officials said the integrated terminal building would be ready by March 2009. Constructed at a cost of Rs 130 crore, it would have state-of-the-art facilities and amenities, including aerobridges, flight information display system and centralised air-conditioning.
The present terminal has the capacity to handle only 200 passengers.
Laying the foundation stone, Karunanidhi said the airport was being modernised, as promised by the DMK in its election manifesto.
Responding to a demand by Dindigul MP N S V Chittan that the state government should provide land required for the airport’s expansion free of cost, the chief minister announced that the government had already accorded administrative sanction for acquisition of 616 acres.
However, he wanted the Union Civil Aviation Ministry to bear half of the land’s cost.
Karunanidhi said all airports in the state would be pieces of architectural excellence and match world class airports.
Union minister of state for civil aviation Praful Patel promised that international flights would be operated once the integrated terminal was ready in 2009. The modernized airport would boost economic activity and growth in the region, he said.
Karunanidhi also laid the foundation stones for IT parks developed by Electronics Corporation of Tamil Nadu at Ilandaikulam and Vadapalanji in Madurai.
