Now an industrial powerhouse, Kutch set for new airport at Kandla port | Rajkot News – Times of India

Now an industrial powerhouse, Kutch set for new airport at Kandla port | Rajkot News – Times of India



RAJKOT: Kutch, which rose from the 2001 quake particles to an industrial powerhouse, is ready to get a significant increase with probabilities of a greenfield airport at Kandla brightening.
Deendayal Port Authority (DPA), which handles certainly one of India’s busiest ports, Kandla, has agreed in precept to allot 600-1,000 acres for the greenfield airport. Sources mentioned that the motion for a brand new airport at Kandla had been on since 2019, however the Airports Authority of India (AAI) was prepared to fund the venture provided that the land was out there.

Investment

DPA chairman Sushil Kumar Singh instructed TOI, “We’re prepared to supply land to AAI according to the land administration coverage relevant to the port. Two-three parcels have been recognized, and AAI will resolve which is appropriate.”
Singh mentioned DPA cannot switch land possession however can provide it on a 60-year lease. “We’ll talk to the civil aviation ministry the small print of the recognized land parcels.” At current, solely two flights of 78-seater plane function from Kandla airport, and the terminal capability is 250-300 passengers.
The Federation of Kutch Industries Affiliation (FOKIA), the umbrella group of industries that got here up after the earthquake, has additionally been pursuing the venture with the AAI with a collection of conferences. AAI has already ready a grasp plan for 2049 for air connectivity to Kutch.
A senior AAI official instructed TOI: “We submitted the plan with projections of passengers contemplating the commercial and tourism improvement of Kutch to the state govt a few months in the past. The potential for a brand new airport is big.” Earlier than the Covid-19 pandemic, AAI had demanded 300 acres from the state govt to develop the prevailing airport. Nonetheless, that a lot was not out there and AAI revised its estimate to 178 acres. The acquisition hit a roadblock. So, AAI floated the concept of a greenfield airport by shelving the enlargement plan.
In June final 12 months, the Gujarat State Aviation Infrastructure Firm Restricted (GUJSAIL) wrote to the Kutch collector to establish a land parcel inside a 20-30 km radius of Kandla for the brand new airport.
Nonetheless, the method of figuring out appropriate govt wasteland is extraordinarily gradual, and nothing has materialized to this point.







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