[PART OF REPORT]

On the issue of a new airport for Chennai, the PMK leader said there should not be any further delay in identifying the new site. At the same time, he was not in favour of constructing an additional runway at the Meenambakkam airport.



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India plans 'intelligent' airport terminals

PTI Wednesday, February 21, 2007 17:01 IST


NEW DELHI: As the roadmap for modernisation of Kolkata and Chennai airports nears completion, top Civil Aviation Ministry officials on Wednesday said new terminals coming up at major airports across the country would be "intelligent" and IT-enabled.

"We are awaiting a report from the Tamil Nadu government regarding land acquisition. We are likely to get the report in the next two to three weeks.

"As soon as we get the report, we will move the Union Cabinet on modernisation of Kolkata and Chennai airports", Civil Aviation Secretary Ashok Chawla told reporters after inaugurating the 'Inter Airport India' exhibition here.

He said the West Bengal government has already made it clear that the Kolkata airport would be modernised by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

Earlier, addressing the inaugural session of the exhibition, AAI chief K Ramalingam said major Indian airports in future would have "intelligent terminals" fitted with sensors to operate various facilities -- from lighting and air-conditioning to an IT-enabled building management system.

High-tech equipment would be deployed for the security and air traffic control (ATC) systems covering a wide range of activities -- from access control to perimeter security.

The Communication, Navigation, Surveillance and Air Traffic Management (CNS-ATM) system would be modernised and linked to the satellite-based system called GAGAN, in collaboration with the Indian Space Research Organisation.

"We will have a VSAT network to cover eight major airports" to begin with, Ramalingam said, adding even the baggage X-Ray and screening mechanisms would be upgraded
considerably.

The Civil Aviation Secretary, in his address, said while Delhi and Mumbai airports were being modernised, the greenfield projects at Hyderabad and Bangalore would be ready by the middle of next year.

Observing that there was a "colossal requirement" of an estimated 10 billion dollars to modernise airports across the country, he said the focus necessarily would be to have
public-private partnership.

"As a policy response, the foreign investment regime in airport development and air services have been made liberal. We are open to further liberalisation based on the needs of the industry", Chawla said.

Elaborating on the "exponential growth" in the Indian aviation sector, he said the passenger traffic has grown and would continue to grow at a fast pace. The number of scheduled passenger airline operators has grown to 15 and the number of aircraft in their fleet has risen to over 300.

During 2006, these scheduled airline operators have been given permission to import as many as 66 aircraft and another 350 aircraft are waiting to be imported by the airline
operators over the coming four to five years, he said.

The Civil Aviation Secretary said such huge expansion in a short time had overburdened the limited available infrastructure.

The major challenges, which were currently being tackled by the government, included modernisation of airports and ATM, ensuring safety and security standards at par with global specifications, evolving a dynamic communication and navigation system and development of Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul facilities, Chawla added.

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Delay in airport project worries PMK

NT Bureau
Chennai, Feb 20:

PMK founder Dr S Ramadoss today expressed concern that Chennai Airport might take a backseat as Bangalore and Hyderabad have planned to set up greenfield airports in eight months.

Releasing the draft budget of the party for the fiscal 2007-08 here, the PMK leader said already very few international flights were coming to Chennai. Now, after the new airports in Bangalore and Hyderabad were built, flights would be diverted to these cities, he opined.

Indecision of the State government on whether to construct a greenfield airport at Oragadum (or Sriperambudur) or to just expand the Chennai Airport had to the present stalemate, he charged. It may be noted that PMK was one of the party opposing the proposed expansion of the airport.

Replying to a query on inflation, Ramadoss said controlling the rising prices was a Central subject. The State government could only streamline the distribution channels. And hence, the PDS network has to be strengthened, he said.

He demanded the State government should release details of the price rise of essential commodities prior to the budget. The draft budget of PMK had a revenue estimate of Rs 46,589 crore and the estimate on total expenditure at Rs 46,918 crore with a deficit of Rs 329 crore.

Ramadoss informed that this was the fifth draft budget prepared by the PMK. 'We are not finding fault at anyone. We only want to help the State government and also, we do not want any new taxes being imposed on the common people, particularly affecting the poor,' he explained.

Every year, the State's debt burden was increasing, he noted. This year (2006-07) the burden was placed at Rs 56,094 crore. The government was paying an interest of Rs 1.2 crore per day, Dr Ramadoss said.

The increase in non-plan expenditure would result in lowering of plan expenditure. Hence, the government should refrain from increasing non-plan expenditure for the sake of fulfilling the electoral promises, he said.

He called for the tabling of papers on Economic Survey, Action Taken Report, Outcome Budget and Gender Budget before the presentation of the State's annual budget.

State government should also hold consultations with farmers, industries, small and medium scale sector, political parties and economic departments of varsities before drafting the budget, Dr Ramadoss said.










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Board favours attractive package to landowners

T. Ramakrishnan

The idea is to make them stakeholders in the Board's projects




CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Housing Board has mooted a new land policy for housing with an attractive package to landowners.

The idea is to make landowners stakeholders in the Board's projects, says an official. By providing reasonable compensation to landowners, the Board intends to encourage them to part with their land. The Board has sent a proposal to the Government. It has been formulated in the wake of controversies over land acquisition at Singur and Nandigram, West Bengal. A few months ago, the State too witnessed strong opposition from the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's ally, the Pattali Makkal Katchi, to the move to establish a satellite town near Chennai.

Eventually, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi scrapped the project. The Chennai airport expansion project too is facing resistance from some residents of the areas that are likely to be affected.

The official says Rajasthan and Haryana have framed a new policy on land acquisition. The Board's proposal envisages allotment of prime property, residential or commercial, to landowners at concessional rates or mutually agreed terms as part of the compensation package.

At present, the acquisition is done under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894. Though time-tested, the Act needs to be revised to avoid delay in view of rapid urbanisation. The authorities are also keen that the process of acquisition be completed within a shorter timeframe. Another reason for the policy is that the Board is keen on creating a "land bank" for its projects that essentially target the middle class and weaker sections.

The high economic growth in the last three-four years has created a huge demand for land, as the corporate sector, especially information technology companies, wants to set up facilities in advantageous locations. A large number of private promoters have entered real estate. This has pushed up the land cost. Unlike in the past, landowners are not favourably inclined to give their land for government schemes. All these make the Board's schemes difficult to implement.

The policy will also address the Board's other problem of preserving its property.








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A blogger writes about his home town PAMMAL and his views on modernization of Chennai Airport.

Residents pin hopes on DMK allies
Saturday February 10 2007 10:07 IST

CHENNAI: The allies of the ruling DMK have pledged support to the struggle committee fighting the proposed city airport expansion affecting 50,000 people. From the time the airport expansion was conceived, the residents of Cowl Bazaar, Pozhichalur, Pammal and Anahaputhur have been waging a lone struggle against all odds.

All set to enter into the second year of struggle by February 16, the struggle committee against airport expansion have pinned their hopes primarily on Left parties, the PMK and DPI, all the allies of the ruling DMK.

Even if Congress, another key ally, has not overtly supported, the struggle committee has received positive response from the TNCC leadership when they sought co-operation on Wednesday.

Besides, BJP has assured to fight till the very end. They also expect the Opposition in AIADMK and MDMK to support their cause.

After learning that the Chief Minister will hold talks with political parties before taking a decision, the struggle committee has met politicians of all parties.

CPI state secretary Tha Pandian, openly confronting the state in the issue, has assured again that his party would never allow eviction of residents, said party sources.

Pointing out that the party has already passed a resolution to support the struggle at the state committee meeting, CPM state secretary has promised to talk to like minded parties to prevent residents from being forcefully evicted from their houses. PMK founder S Ramadoss who visited the residents twice before, has also pledged support to the people. Similarly, DPI general secretary Thol Thirumavalavan has promised to be by the side of the residents.

While BJP has taken a policy decision to support the struggle, Opposition parties like AIADMK, MDMK and DMDK have also responded positively, the office bearers of the struggle committee said.

The struggle committee has also submitted a memorandum to the ruling DMK also. As the Centre and State, to an extent, are keen on expansion of the city airport, the struggle committee feels DMK’s allies could only save their livelihood. The struggle committee against airport expansion has urged the State Government to issue a Government Order that it was dropping the expansion plan and allow them live without fear.

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Officials complete survey at site
Land for Chennai airport identified

NT Bureau
Chennai, Feb 10:

In what appears to be an end to the speculation over the choice of site for a new airport for Chennai with international standards, the Central government seems to have zeroed in on a sprawling 3000 acre site on the Old Mahabalipuram Road, near Paiyanur, sources here said today.

In the Old Mahabalipuram Road, on the Tiruporrur to Mahabalipuram route, from Karunguzhipallam to Paiyanur, a 3000 acre barren land said to be owned by the Ministry of Defence, has been identified as a suitable location for the new project, it is said.

Senior officials of the Civil Aviation Ministry, Airports Authority of India besides revenue officials of the State, surveyed the area on 7 February for an on the spot assessment and soil tests are now being conducted, sources added.

The six-lane highway upto Siruseri from Madhya Kailash is likely to be extended upto Pooncheri, close to Mahabalipuram in the wake of the new Airport project.

Alongside the Paiyanur site, two more locations near Chennai are also being considered for their suitability to house the new airport for the City, it is said.

About 1500 acre site, between Pudupakkam - Mambakkam on the Kelambakkam Vandalur Road, near the proposed and shelved satellite city project of Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and vast tracts of land measuring about 700 acres near Kelambakkam used by salt manufacturing companies are also being considered, it is said.

Interestingly, the Paiyanur site examined by the officials for the airport project was the one proposed to be developed as an administrative city by the previous AIADMK regime.

The Chennai airport expansion plan, conceived near the Pammal and Pozhicalur region in the midst of residential localities faced stiff resistance from not only residents but also from major political parties like the BJP.

The founder leader of PMK, Ramadoss also rose against the scheme, which he said would displace and harm the thousand of residents.

Chief Minister M Karunanidhi announced in the State Assembly that 'no scheme which hurts and displaces the common man would be implemented' which pushed the expansion scheme to cold storage.

Subsequently, airport near Sriperumbudur was proposed by Karunanidhi which however was found to be not feasible.

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