Ground-breaking ceremony to be held in January 2024

Mysore/Mysuru: An Airport Advisory Committee meeting was held at the VIP lounge of the Mysuru Airport this morning under the chairmanship of MP Pratap Simha.

Chamundeshwari MLA G.T. Devegowda, Deputy Commissioner Dr. K.V. Rajendra, Airport Director J.R. Anup and members of Airport Advisory Committee C. Narayanagowda, C.A. Jayakumar, Bhagyashree Bhat and others attended the meeting.

It was decided that the ground- breaking ceremony for the Airport runway expansion would be held in January 2024.

A proposal has been sent to the State Government to acquire an additional 91 acres to facilitate future expansion and also to facilitate the runway expansion of 2,750 metres (45 metres wide) from the existing 1,740 metres (30 metres wide).

The airport stands on 490-acre land and an additional 240 acres of land has to be acquired. Of the total 240 acres of land (all falling under various survey numbers of Marase village, Mysuru taluk) identified for expansion works, a total 160 acres of land have been acquired and a compensation of Rs. 1.5 crore per acre has been disbursed. In addition, 46 acres have to be acquired and compensation has to be distributed, the meeting noted. “We need more land (91 acres) in case the runway has to be expanded to 3,500 metres and the proposal is with the Finance Department,” MP Pratap Simha noted. He (Simha) informed the meeting that the proposal to construct an underpass beneath the runway has been abandoned due to security concerns and the potential challenges and cost escalation associated with its construction. Instead, the Mysuru-Nanjangud Highway will be diverted as the alignment of the Highway intersects perpendicularly with the runway. Consequently, additional land will be acquired for the diversion of the Highway. The BJP Government had approved and released Rs. 320 crore for the airport expansion, the MP said.

Airing his opinion, DC Dr. Rajendra suggested the Airports Authority of India (AAI)  set up an export hub that will promote local products from horticulture and floriculture. These flower and fruit products produced in Mysuru do not go outside the district due to a lack of proper avenues. If a warehouse or a cold-storage-like facility can come up in the Airport, local products can be exported in the form of cargo, he added.

DC Dr. Rajendra said that now is the best time to expand the Mysuru Airport to international standards as it will be an impossible task later in the absence of land. “Moreover, land cost is skyrocketing and it is a tricky situation if the expansion is delayed further,” he said. He also suggested to the Airport Director to open a tourism kiosk at the airport along with shops that sell branded products.