Mangalore Airport ready for diamond jubilee

The Hindu

• A major announcement anticipated
• Centre urged to fund runway extension

 

Mangalore, 12 March 2011: The visit of Vayalar Ravi, the Union Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs and Civil Aviation, to the city for inaugurating the Mangalore Airport Diamond Jubilee celebrations of the city’s airport is eagerly awaited by the region.

 

 

This is because of an expectation of an announcement declaring the airport as “international airport”, said K. Thejomaya, member of the committee that has been formed to organise the celebrations at a press meet held in the city on Friday. The Mangalore airport authorities had been requesting the Centre for funds to enable the extension of the runway. At present, the runway was 8,050-ft long. The runway must be extended by 950 ft more in order to be called “international”. This required filling up a valley, which, along with building the runway, would cost about Rs. 300 crore, he said. A decision on this request for funds was expected at the meeting on Sunday.

 

Mr. Thejomaya said that land was not a problem for the runway extension. “Only funds from the Centre are awaited. The extension requires filling up of a valley, which has farmlands but is not inhabited. Another request has been to name the airport as Ullal Srinivas Mallya Airport.

 

M. Veerappa Moily, Union Minister for Law and Justice, is chief guest at the event, which will be held at St. Aloysius High School Auditorium.

 

J. Krishna Palemar, Minister of Ports and Fisheries and Dakshina Kannada in-charge Minister; Nalin Kumar Kateel, D.V. Sadananda Gowda, and Oscar Fernandes, all MPs; N. Yogish Bhat, Deputy Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and Abhaychandra Jain, MLA.