Mangalore: Will Konkan Railways Extend its Service to Airport ?

Bangalore, Sep 13 (DHNS): Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel is scheduled to inaugurate the Mysore airport as well as the new integrated terminal building of Mangalore airport on September 22. 

The inaugural flight will be of Indian Airlines for the Mysore airport. The Airport Authority of India has taken possession of the Air Traffic Control tower. But clearance from the Director General of Civil Aviation for commissioning of the airport is awaited, according to Mysore Development Commissioner Manivannan.

V Madhu, Principal Secretary, Department of Infrastructure said, “We have only a draft schedule from the civil aviation ministry. The Mysore airport will be ready for commissioning one-and-a-half months after the inauguration”.

Asked whether the Mysore airport will be commercially viable, the officer said, the City being a tourist destination, it will be viable. “It is like chicken and egg story. Unless we have infrastructure facilities, Mysore will not grow. There may not be traffic between Mysore and Bangalore. But tourists may make Mysore as the centre to reach other tourist destinations. Because of the airport, Mysore is also getting good roads.

Jet had shown interest in extending its service to Mysore. Kuwait airlines and Kingfisher too had made enquiries. I am sure the city is bound to grow”, he said.

More landings

He also said that the government was in the process of acquiring another 350 acres of land for the Mysore airport. Of this, 50 pc of the land had already been acquired. At present, ATR 72 can land at the airport. The airport will be developed to accommodate Airbus A320, he added.

File pic : Mangalore airport road

Madhu, referring to the Mangalore airport, said the international terminal of the airport is ready for inauguration. “The terminal is well constructed by the AAI. We are negotiating with Konkan railways to extend its service to the airport. The railway track is just one-and-a-half kms from the airport. We want to develop a traffic hub near the airport so that people from the airport can either take train or railway route to reach their destinations. In the next 15 days, the model will be ready. We may go in for a private-public participation mode for building the hub”.

Sources in the government said that PM Manmohan Singh is expected to be in Bangalore to participate in a defence programme on September 22.

PM may inaugurate Mandakalli airport

District-In-charge Minister Shobha Karandlaje stated that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who will be in Mangalore to visit the Bajpe airport, will be requested to inaugurate the Mandakalli airport in Mysore on the same day. She was speaking to the mediapersons in Mysore on Saturday after inspecting Dasara works. The date would be finalised soon, she added.

She expressed her satisfaction over the pace of the work stating that the works are in full swing and they have been taken up in a more systematic way when compared to last year’s Dasara celebrations. By Sept 15, 90 per cent of the works will be completed, she added.  For the first time, two folk artistes - Cheluvva Mudukavva of Belgaum and Siddaramaiah of Mysore district will be felicitated with Janapadashri award, she informed. 

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