In order to facilitate the extension of Mandakalli Airport to upgrade it to international standards, the highway, which comes in the way of extension, need not be aligned but an underpass can be created as in Sydney, suggested members of The Institution of Engineers and M. Lakshmana, Convener of the Association of Concerned and Informed Citizens of Mysore (ACICM).

The team of engineers that visited the airport on Sept. 27, also conducted a spot inspection of the highway. Later they submitted a memorandum to Airport Authority of India (Mysore) Director C. Manjunath.

Such underpasses are provided in various other countries and will be started in Delhi and Mumbai too, stated the memorandum, urging the Centre to provide an underpass at the highway and facilitate airport extension without realigning the highway.

A report of the spot inspection, conducted at the initiation of MP A.H. Vishwanath, will be submitted to him soon, said Lakshmana and added the Director General of Civil Aviation will be urged to conduct a spot inspection for the underpass.

What’s the proposal?

The Centre had granted Rs. 140 crore during 2010 for the second phase expansion of the airport and had directed the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) to acquire 350 acres of land.

However, since the previous BJP government decided in 2011 that the airport’s extension was not required for the time being and the former Deputy Commissioner P. Manivannan raising the land value to Rs. 50 lakh per acre, the price being too exorbitant and higher than the land value around the Devanahalli airport near Bangalore, it was urged to withdraw the ordinance issued for acquiring land.

Meanwhile, Vishwanath, in a letter to the Chief Minister, has said that the airport, if not extended, will become a museum.

Among those who accompanied Lakshmana for the spot inspection were retired chief engineers C.N. Babu, D.V.S. Iyer, Seetharam, C.V. Lakshman, Vijaya Raghavan, architects Kavitha Verma, Varuna Gowri and MP’s personal assistant Nataraj.

Courtesy : Star Of Mysore