Funds awaited for Mysore Airport runway expansion and repairs of MMC&RI Hospitals
Mysore/Mysuru: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has responded positively to the request made by Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha to allocate funds in the Budget — to be presented on Mar. 4 — for the expansion of the Mysore Airport runway and also to sanction funds for the repairs and restoration of K.R. Hospital, Cheluvamba Hospital and PKTB Hospital run by the Mysore Medical College and Research Institute (MMC&RI).
Meeting the CM in Bengaluru, Pratap Simha submitted a list of projects in Mysuru that desperately need funds. These include the renovation of hospitals that come under MMC&RI. The MP had written to the CM earlier highlighting the pathetic condition of the hospitals and how the century-old structures withstood the vagaries of weather till now.
A proposal to renovate buildings at a cost of Rs. 85.98 crore was pending before the State Government, he told the CM and requested Bommai to accord administrative approval for the proposal and release the necessary funds.
All the hospitals and the MMC&RI are housed in heritage buildings and there is an urgent need to restore them with structural repairs. MMC&RI is one of the oldest medical colleges in India and a lot of patients from Mysuru and neighbouring districts depend on these hospitals for treatment, the MP told the CM.
Secondly, the MP sought funds for expansion of the Mysore Airport’s existing runway that is stuck due to land acquisition issues. A total of 240 acres of land is required for expanding the airport by extending the existing runway to facilitate the operation of large-sized aircraft.
The Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) had identified 116 acres that needs to be acquired immediately for the project but, the proposal was pending before the Finance Department. The MP urged the CM to accord financial approval for the proposal and take necessary steps for the release of funds required for land acquisition.
Pratap Simha told the CM that over Rs. 400 crore is needed to pay compensation to land owners who will lose land for the project and Rs. 1.5 crore has to be paid per acre through KIADB.
The existing Airport is spread over 507 acres and under the expansion project, the length of the runway will be increased to 2,750 metres and 45 metres width that allows jet aircraft such as Boeing 737 and Airbus A-320 to land.
This post was published on March 2, 2022 6:39 pm