State government to provide land to AAI to upgrade Hubli Airport

Hubli, May 8 (UNI) The Karnataka government will provide 386.6 acres of land to Airport Authority of India(AAI) to upgrade Hubli airport into an all-weather airport, Revenue Minister Jagdish Shettar said here today.

Talking to newsmen after a visit to the airport along with officials of AAI he said a joint survey would be carried out by revenue and AAI officials to identify the land that need to be acquired for the purpose. ''I have brought the matter to the knowledge of both Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and the Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurppa and they have agreed for the proposal'', Mr Shettar said.

He said the land acquisition might cost between Rs 20 to 30 crore. With twin city Hubli-Dharwad getting Rs 160 crore out of Rs 1800 crore Asian Development Bank to develop urban areas in the state, the cost involved in airport upgradation was meagre.

AAI's southern India regional Director Dr Ramlingam who was present along with AAI General managers-construction and Adminstration Chandramouli and Purushottam said once the land was handed over to AAI, the work could be completed within a span of 24 months.

He said meanwhile, strengthening of runaways at a cost of Rs 7.12 crore would be completed by July to facilitate night landing at Hubli airport.

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