TNN
Bangalore, May 29: Hyderabad has scored over Bangalore again. The Union civil aviation ministry has given its stamp of approval to the GMR Hyderabad International Airport but dumped the design for the Bangalore International Airport at Devanahalli.
In a letter sent to the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) in May first week, the Union civil aviation ministry has expressed serious reservations over the quality of the airport design.
"Primarily, it is not even the look we're worried about. Some construction design elements are a cause for serious concern,"a top civil aviation ministry official told The Times of India. The points of concern pertain to structural design itself. For example, three sides of the terminal building's floor at Bangalore are below ground level.
"The capacity of the storm water drain at the terminal building is not adequate. So, unless it is augmented, the terminal building has every chance of being flooded during Bangalore's heavy downpours,"officials said.
The Centre is also unhappy about the lack of a canopy outside the terminal building, again in view of the rain. Design factors like lack of distance between the escalators/ staircases have also been pointed out.
"The look of this airport is also like that of a factory; there is no international flair. In contrast, the Hyderabad airport looks truly international. They have used the best of the consultants for everything. Even the additions AAI has made to the Mumbai airport look better,"officials said.
The ministry has suggested that colour and geometric shapes should be used to make the airport look bright and lively. Hyderabad prides itself on its "spacious and abundant natural light".
This is the second time the Centre has complained about the quality of Bangalore airport. In October 2005, Union civil aviation minister Praful Patel had complained both about the look of the airport and sought augementation of its terminal's capacity to handle more passengers.
BIAL did a redesign, submitted it to the Centre and had it cleared, with an additional cost of about Rs 500 crore raised from the market.
The Bangalore airport is modelled on the Zurich one, known for being the most efficient in Europe. BIAL officials could not be reached for comment.