Andhra Pradesh - Vijayawada   

Airport expansion goes on amid din over land acquisition spotlight

PHOTO: CH. VIJAYA BHASKAR

Yet to take off: Expansion of Gannavaram airport continues to be mired in controversy even as there is a consensus on the urgent need for its expansion. —

VIJAYAWADA: A long-cherished aspiration of people of the city is the development and expansion of the airport at Gannavaram in a way that there will be a scope for bigger aircraft to land there in near future. Greater air connectivity is expected to boost chances of the region emerging an industrial hub and a potential two-tier Information Technology (IT) destination.

It was in February 2007 that the State Government signed an MoU with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to further develop the Gannavaram airport.

The MoU provided, among other things, for construction of a new terminal building to handle 300 passengers (up from the present 100), introduction of a Doppler Very High Frequency Omni Range (DVOR) navigation aid and upgradation of the existing night landing facility with a second circuit for runway lights and fire station.

While it is possible to achieve this with the available land at the airport, the authorities are interested in pursuing its development according to a long-term plan, which necessitates acquisition of 506 acres of land additionally from the surrounding areas.

The officials say that in the survey for expansion, they have carefully avoided asking for acquisition of the populated areas nearer to the airport.

However, a hue and cry has been raised with the entire political establishment, particularly the Left parties, opposing the airport’s expansion at the cost of poor farmers’ lands and poor people’s houses in the vicinity. With elections only less than a year away, the ruling Congress also wants to play safe on the issue while leaders of the Opposition Telugu Desam Party have thrown their weight behind the poor farmers.

In all possibility, the expansion of the runway and the provision of several other modern facilities at the airport will be taken up soon, with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) awarding tenders to a Kolkata-based company.

As per the plan finalised by the AAI, these tenders involve works of a value of Rs. 44.78 crores.

As the awarding of tenders has been completed without delay, officials are confident of the airport becoming ready to receive bigger aircraft in less than a year.

An airport official, on condition of anonymity, says that in view of the reservations expressed in certain quarters, a survey has been conducted and it has been decided to reduce the land to be acquired from 650 acres to 506 acres. At one point of time, it was thought that at least 548 acres would be additionally required for further expansion of the airport.

The idea has now been given up in view of the opposition to the acquisition of land altogether. In this, populated areas have been avoided carefully, the official points out.

Y. Narasimha Rao, secretary of the CPI (M) Gannavaram division and an activist of the ‘Vimanashraya Vistharana Vyatireka Porata Committee’ (Struggle Committee Against Expansion of Airport), says that the AAI had acquired 80 acres of land in 1989 for expansion of the airport but it has not been used for the stated purpose until now.

The land that the AAI has in its possession now is enough even to expand the runway to 7,500 ft for the landing of wide-bodied aircrafts.

If the AAI and revenue authorities go ahead with land acquisition, it will completely cut off road connectivity to Buddhavaram, Ajjampudi and Buthumillipadu, while farmers of Davajigudem, Gannavaram and Kesarapalli will lose large tracts of fertile land, he says.

In the ruling party too, voices are being raised against acquisition of land for the expansion of the airport. Pradesh Congress Committee executive member Kolanukonda Shivaji argues that any further development of the airport should be taken up only with the available land and not at the cost of poor farmers. TDP urban president and former MP Gadde Rammohan contends that the expansion of the airport can be taken up in over 670 acres already available. The AAI should make efforts to optimise the use of land already available within the airport premises.

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