Telangana Seeks Centre’s Nod For Four Airports Across The State

As per the concession agreement between GMR Group and the Ministry of Civil Aviation, no new or existing airport shall be permitted within an aerial distance of 150 km of the Hyderabad airport

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has urged the Centre to grant permission for the development of the airport at Warangal and also clear the proposals for airports at three other places in the state.

The Chief Minister met Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu in New Delhi and urged him to expedite the process for the commencement of work on the Mamunur Airport at Warangal, which will be the second airport in Telangana after Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad.

He informed the Aviation Minister that the state government has obtained a no objection certificate (NOC) from GMR, the operator of Hyderabad Airport, to develop Mamunur Airport. As per the concession agreement between GMR Group and the Ministry of Civil Aviation, no new or existing airport shall be permitted within an aerial distance of 150 km of the Hyderabad Airport.

The Chief Minister also informed the Aviation Minister that Rs 205 crore required for the acquisition of 253 acres of land has been handed over to the Aviation Authority of India (AAI). He urged Rammohan Naidu to take the necessary steps to give the necessary permissions for the airport work. Last week, the state government issued an order sanctioning Rs 205 crore for acquiring over 280.3 acres of land.

He also informed Rammohan Naidu that the previously identified land to establish an airport in Bhadradri Kothagudem district was not suitable and hence, 950 acres have been identified in Paloncha as an alternative. The details of the particular land have been provided to the AAI, the CM said requesting the Union Minister to immediately grant permission for the airport.

Reddy also brought to the notice of the Union Minister the outcome of the AAI’s pre-feasibility survey which disclosed that the previously identified land in Peddapalli district is not suitable for the construction of an airport.

As an alternative, the state government identified 591.24 acres of land at Antargam, and sought the Union Minister’s nod for the establishment of an airport there. Revanth Reddy also told Rammohan Naidu that the Indian Air Force (IAF) already possessed 369.50 acres of land in Adilabad and an additional 249.82 acres is required for full-scale operations.

The state government is ready to acquire the additional land and hand over it to the Aviation Ministry.