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Partnership with States

Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel will be doing the right thing in briefing Chief Ministers about infrastructure development and seeking the States’ partnership in the growth of the civil aviation sector. Though some of the State governments have been actively promoting the development or modernisation of airports in their regions, not all have shown the same level of involvement. The task of strengthening the aviation infrastructure goes beyond the mere construction, expansion or modernisation of airports. The greenfield airports in Hyderabad and Bangalore are all set for commissioning in March or April, but the passengers using them will realise that connectivity is still very much a problem. Though the airports have been under development for three years or more, a multi-modal transport system to link the city with the new airport, situated some 30 km away, is not yet ready in both cases. This goes also for the elevated or surface toll way intended to provide an easier access to the airport. These are seen as failures of the State governments and the inter-departmental coordination mechanisms that are supposed to sort out these problems.

Mr. Patel has noted that there are 80 operational airports in the country, with another 20 greenfield projects under development. In addition, there are at least 300 airstrips lying unused in different States. A question therefore arises as to how to revive the airstrips as part of the expansion of the aviation network and put them to use at least in a limited way. The Civil Aviation Ministry and the Airports Authority of India already have their hands full with projects for the development of airports in operation and the construction of new ones. It is only appropriate that the States undertake the task of preparing blueprints for the development of support infrastructure and for newer airports to match the growth of aviation industry. The States need to prioritise their tourism and aviation development projects and go for Public-Private Partnership to implement them, with support from the Centre. In parallel, they have to seriously address the related infrastructure issues such as the city side development of the airport, providing services and connectivity, and linking up with tourism and the hospitality industry so that visitors and business travellers are assured of a pleasant experience. In 2008, designated the ‘Year of Helicopters,’ development of heliports or helipads is expected to get special attention, and these could be planned in such a way that they provide connectivity to the new airports too.

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