Coimbatore : In the on-going Coimbatore airport expansion process, the Kongu Global Forum (KGF) had recently represented to Suresh Prabhu, Minister for Civil Aviation, Govt of India (MoCA GOI) and Edappadi K Palaniswami, Chief Minister of TamilNadu on the proposed alteration in the expansion proposal.
Coimbatore : In the on-going Coimbatore airport expansion process, the Kongu Global Forum (KGF) had recently represented to Suresh Prabhu, Minister for Civil Aviation, Govt of India (MoCA GOI) and Edappadi K Palaniswami, Chief Minister of TamilNadu on the proposed alteration in the expansion proposal.
In a letter addressed to the MoCA GOI and CM of TN, KGF has highlighted that the present expansion proposal of the airport plan to be carried out on 365 acres of land would be just bring cosmetic alterations to the airport and not solve the purpose. Further, it will limit the development of the terminal building. Whereas, the original proposal was to acquire 625 acres of land to facilitate extension of the runway for bigger aircraft -- both passenger and cargo catering to international destinations.
The board Directors of KGF have reiterated that the need for expansion is at it's peak. In the event of delay or scaling down on the subject will have a cascading effect on the region, as Coimbatore is the only airport that caters to the requirement of entire Kongu belt.
With a huge potential for growth, development of the airport would be a boon to numerous industries in the region, fostering growth by means of increased connectivity to international destinations and reduced travel time.
Speaking on this A.Sakthivel Chairman, KGF, opines that ,"Coimbatore airport is catering to the needs of eight districts --Tirupur , Karur, Erode, Salem, Nilgris and also Palghat. The business generated in these districts and the growth potential is phenomenal. Undeniably, the ariport needs a bigger runway to accommodate wider and bigger aircrafts. In this scenario, crunching the airport proposed expansion plan from 625 to 365 acres will alter the ultimate purpose".
Seconding his opinion , Vanitha Mohan, Vice Chairperson, KGF states, "The State Government is ready to acquire 625 acres. Presently, the land owners have also agreed to sell their lands. In this favorable situation, altering plans will question the very purpose of expansion in itself. Hence, right away the proposed 625 acres should be acquired, as acquiring land in the future might be next to impossible. The Civil Aviation Ministry should stick with the original plan. Even, if expansion happens in phases, land acquisition should go as per the plan".