From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Feb 15: Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on a visit to his home district of Shivamogga, laid the foundation stone for the construction of Rs 220 crore airport project at Vijayapura after ensuring that his government created Vijayapura as the 31st new district in the State at a virtual function held in Shivamogga on Monday.

He, however, was eloquent on the BJP government’s commitment for the development of the new Vijayapura district and said the construction of the airport would boost tourism as well as provide access to the international market for horticultural and agricultural produce from the district and thereby provide employment to the youth.

The airport is being constructed at a 727 acre plot in Bharanapura and Madabhavi villages in Vijayapura district in the public-private-participation (PPP) model with the object of giving impetus for the economic and tourism development of the district, he said.

Vijayapura district was famous for his horticultural crops, especially grapes, pomegranate and lemons which were being exported to several countries. The airport would increase the market potential and earnings of the district from horticultural crops, he said.

The Chief Minister said the State Government was doing its best to prevail upon the Centre to take up the Vijayanagara airport work and its development by the National Airport Authority of the Central Civil Aviation Ministry under its Udaan scheme.

The Vijayapura airport construction work is tailored for handling the operation of ATR 72 aircrafts with provision for expansion to handle even Airbus 320 aircrafts, he said pointing out that even ordinary citizens will be able to fly from the airport in future if it was taken up under the Udaan scheme.

The Chief Minister said the State Government was taking all steps for the development of the Northern Karnataka region after renaming it as Kalyana Karnataka. Work on Kalaburgi and Bidar airports has already been started while Shivamogga airport work rapidly progressing.

“The State Government is keen to ensure that construction of the Vijayapura airport is completed in a time-bound manner,’’ the Chief Minister said.

Deputy Chief Minister Govinda M Karjol, BJP MPs B Y Raghavendra and Ramesh Jigajinagi, MLC Rudregouda, MLAs Araga Jnanendra and Devanand Chavan, Infrastructure Development Department Principal Secretary Kapial Mohan, Chief Minister’s Secretary S Selvakumar and Shivamogga Deputy Commissioner K B Shivakumar participated in the function.

In another virtual programme held in Shivamogga earlier, the Chief Minister laid the foundation stone for the construction of three railway over-bridges in the presence of Union Railway Minister Piyush Goel, who participated virtually.

Shivamogga BJP MP B Y Raghavendra, MLAs Araga Jnanendra, Kumar Bangarappa, Hartalu Halappa and B K Sangamesh, MLCs Rudregowda, Prasanna Kumar and Ayanur Manjunath participated in the function.