Mysuru: The 12-years effort to build a 500 metre-600 metre long tunnel or underpass near the Mysore Airport in Mandakalli and the extension of runway to 2,750 metres has finally borne fruit, with the Director General, Bureau Civil Aviation Authority giving ‘Security Clearance.’
In a statement, Mysuru MP Pratap Simha has stated that it is due to the constant efforts in the last four years and the interest shown by Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayanth Simha that the Civil Aviation Ministry has given its approval for the underpass and the extension of the runway.
Speaking to Star of Mysore here this morning, Mysore Airport Director Manoj Kumar Singh said, “Once the project is completed, it will be the first of its kind airport in the country, where the runway will be over the underpass. We see this kind of Airports only in foreign countries.”
According to Singh, it is due to the efforts of MP Pratap Simha and the District Administration that the approval has finally come to extend the runway and build an underpass.
An additional 280 acres of land is required for the purpose and all processes are being speeded up to acquire the land by paying compensation to the landholders at the earliest. “Once the land is handed over to Airports Authority of India, simultaneously all the work will start. The project is likely to be completed in two or three years,” said Singh and added, “Then bigger aircraft can land in the Mysore Airport, which in turn will drive the economy of the city.”
Infrastructure Development Department Additional Chief Secretary Sandeep Dave has called for a meeting tomorrow at Bengaluru which will be attended by Singh and an Engineer. There was also a meeting held in this regard last month.
It may be recalled that an Expert Committee which had come to Mysore Airport had rejected the proposal but during their second visit on April 5, they gave their approval.
“This approval for the extension of runway of the Mysore Airport and the underpass has been the biggest achievement in my career,” said an emotional Manoj Kumar Singh.
This post was published on May 17, 2018 6:43 pm