The Hindu : Front Page : HAL Airport should co-exist with BIA, say business leaders

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Sunday, May 18, 2008
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HAL Airport should co-exist with BIA, say business leaders

Staff Reporter

‘New airport undersized; closing of existing infrastructure unacceptable’

Lack of planning when setting up infrastructure lamented
Closure of airport will affect shopkeepers, workers

— Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.

Demand: Business leaders protesting against the closure of HAL Airport in Bangalore on Saturday.

BANGALORE: Over a hundred people, led by several business leaders of the city held a demonstration on Saturday protesting against the closure of HAL Airport when the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) commences operations from midnight on May 22.

The protesters included Chairperson of BIOCON Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Mohandas Pai of Infosys and fashion guru Prasad Bidapa.

Several pre-paid taxi drivers who operate from HAL Airport and several members of Airport Authority Employees’ Union (AAEU), Bangalore region, also took part in the demonstration.

Ms. Shaw said there was a capacity constraint as the new airport was undersized. She said it was not in a position to handle the increase in passenger traffic which was growing at a rate of 30 per cent every year. Stating that the running of both airports was viable, she said, “We are not against the new airport. Let the existing infrastructure be used to handle 30 per cent of the domestic flights, while the remaining can be handled by the new airport.”

Devesh Agarwal, Chief Executive Officer of Infomart, said he had not seen an instance of closure of existing infrastructure, which had been set up by spending more than Rs. 200 crore. “This is our money, we cannot allow it to go down the drain,” he said.

Asked if the protest was too late, Mr. Agarwal said, “I hope the Union Government will consider the problem and allow co-existence of the two airports.”

Kate Elfrink of The Netherlands, who has been staying in Bangalore for the past two years, said every major country in Europe had multiple airports. Giving the example of her country, Ms. Elfrink said there were five commercial airports in the country which had a population of 16 million people.

Mr. Pai lamented the lack of planning involved in setting up infrastructure. He said infrastructure, including the new airport, had not been set up keeping the demand for the next 20 years in view. “You will see the problems in the new airport shortly,” he said.

Stanley Sampath Kumar, Secretary, AAEU, Bangalore region, said that the union has been opposing the closure of HAL Airport as it would affect more than 250 employees of the Airport Authority of India (AAI) who have been working there.

Mr. Kumar said that union is moving the High Court of Karnataka with a writ petition against the Union Government’s decision to close the HAL Airport. He said that a similar petition, which had been filed in High Court of Andhra Pradesh, challenging the closure of Begumpet airport, was pending. The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation had filed a reply to the petition and the case was likely to come up for hearing when the court reopens after summer vacation, he added.

Many people working in small hotels, juice shops and coffee joints located in the area surrounding the airport too want the HAL Airport to remain open as its closure will affect their livelihood.

Manikantan and Suresh, hotel workers, said that their employer was thinking of reducing the number of employees as closure of the airport would affect his business. He had hinted that they should find new jobs, they said.

Even many people working in cargo agencies are facing the threat of losing jobs as some agencies are planning to shift to localities close to the new airport. “Some of us will have to quit as we cannot travel so far to reach the office,” said Sharmila, who works for a cargo agency.

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