The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Modernise Chennai airport: Maran

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 10, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Modernise Chennai airport: Maran

By Our Special Correspondent

By Our Special

Correspondent

CHENNAI, JULY 9 . The Union Information Technology and Telecommunications Minister, Dayanidhi Maran, has sought the intervention of the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, to help modernise the passenger terminal at the Chennai International Airport and take steps to decongest traffic at the airport.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Mr. Maran said keeping in mind the growth of the automobile and the Information Technology industries in Chennai and in Tamil Nadu, there was an urgent need for including Chennai as part of the Union Civil Aviation Ministry and the Airports Authority of India's plan to modernise New Delhi and Mumbai airports.

The Minister illustrated the phenomenal growth: international and domestic passenger traffic recorded a 19.92 per cent growth during 2003-04, aircraft movement was up by 39.56 per cent, and there had been 53.31 per cent growth in cargo traffic.

While pointing out that over 800 acres had been earmarked for taking up the expansion of the Chennai airport, the Minister said there had been no concrete steps taken.

Commending the recent steps taken by the Union Civil Aviation Ministry for giving the go ahead for creating new green field airports in Bangalore and Hyderabad, Mr. Maran said it was unfortunate that Chennai had been left out.

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