The land acquisition exercise for Mysuru airport expansion has got fresh traction with the government releasing ₹100 crore for the purpose.
This is the second tranche out of ₹319.13 crore that has already been sanctioned for the project and the first tranche of ₹50 crore was released some time ago.
The GO clearing the release of the second tranche was issued on November 19 and Pratap Simha, Mysuru MP, said here on Monday that the amount will be transferred to the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board to facilitate purchase and transfer of land.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had cleared the proposal and announced in the State Budget that the Mysuru airport would be developed though no allocation was specified in the Budget document. But a GO was issued on April 16, 2022, allotting ₹319.13 crore.
The project entails purchase of 240 acres of land and the government has fixed the compensation at ₹1.5 crore per acre. The amount is meant exclusively for land acquisition payment and the KIADB has already acquired 206.22 acres of land for which the compensation has to be paid.
The amount has to be routed through the Karnataka State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KSSIDC) which has been made the nodal agency for transfer of land to the Airports Authority of India.
The airport expansion entails extending the runway from 1,740 m to 2,400 m to facilitate the operation of Boeing and Airbus planes from the city. At present, only ATR planes with short-distance range operate to and from Mysuru. Stakeholders supportive of the project have averred that operating long-haul flights to cover cities across India was a must for the industrial growth of Mysuru.
The airport project was also deemed imperative soon after it was announced that the country’s first semiconductor plant would be established in Mysuru. Israeli firm ISMC Analog Fab Pvt. Ltd. is slated to invest nearly ₹22,900 crore in Mysuru to establish a state-of-the-art semiconductor plant, which is in sync with the long-term plans of promoting knowledge-based industries in Mysuru.
If the project materialises, it will lead to creation of ancillary units and industries besides generation of additional jobs and a full-fledged functional airport would be a big plus to draw additional investment.
Published - November 21, 2022 08:26 pm IST
