As of now, it is curtains for the plan by the territorial administration to expand the operational capacity of the Puducherry Airport, with the Ministry of Civil Aviation flagging concerns about the huge cost involved in extending the present runway.
The Ministry’s lack of inclination to expand the airport came to light when the Union Civil Aviation Secretary, Vumlunmang Vualnam, wrote in his reply to a letter from BJP legislator P.M.L Kalyanasundaram that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has advised the territorial administration to explore other options such as development of a greenfield airport.
Mr Kalyanasundaram had written to Mr. Vualnam about a proposal to upgrade the present airport. In his reply, Mr Vualnam said the AAI was not in favour of extending the present runway because of the topography of the land surrounding the airport.
“AAI has expressed concerns regarding the topography of the land required for the runway extension, which may necessitate levelling costs. Given the substantial financial implications, AAI has advised exploring alternative options such as the development of a Greenfield Airport,” the Secretary said in his reply last month.
The Puducherry government had requested the AAI to extend the runway to operate bigger aircraft. The AAI had also devised a plan for expansion of the airport over two phases, enabling the operation of ATR-72/Q-400 type of aircraft in phase 1 and operation of A-321 type of aircraft in the second phase. However, a field inspection by the technical team found the explanation plan not advisable due to the cost involved in levelling the land, said an official.
A source in AAI said that to operate bigger aircrafts, the runway has to be extended from its present length of 1,500 metres. A vast stretch on the Kottakuppam side of the existing runway is almost 15 metres deep. Filling up of the stretch to expand the runway by around 800 metres in length and 300 metres in width, would require huge resources, the source said.
“Finding material to fill up the land and also getting financial resources will be a difficult task. The expenditure to fill the land alone, will amount to several crores,” he said.
Land acquisition costs
In the expansion plan, the Puducherry government was also depending on financial assistance for land acquisition. However, the Civil Aviation Ministry had now made it clear that the land acquisition cost has to be incurred by the administration.
“The Government of Puducherry had sought financial support from the Ministry of Home Affairs to meet the anticipated land acquisition cost. In response, the MHA had sought duly vetted detailed project report from Puducherry government. Subsequently, in a meeting held on July 15 last year chaired by Joint Secretary, MHA (UT), it has been determined that the land cost should be borne by the territorial administration,” Mr Vualnam said in the letter.
In the event of need for financial assistance from the Central government, he said the administration could approach the MHA after completing the necessary formalities.
“The administration has not given up on the plan for expansion.. The Villupuram Collectorate had already initiated the process, but there is also the question of who will bear the cost. The cost involved in land acquisition and in the development of the runway is a matter of concern. Also, finding land for a Greenfield airport in Puducherry is extremely difficult. The option for the time being will be to increase the domestic services using the existing facility,” said a senior official.
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