Friday, January 25, 2008

Message in New Indian Express 25_01_2008

CHENNAI: The Rs 2,700-crore expansion project of Chennai airport, which is struggling to manage increase in air-traffic, seems to have hit a roadblock.

As acquisition of 1,066 acres of land in Gerugambakkam, Manapakkam, Kolapakkam and Tharapakkam has been caught in a wrangle with the residents, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has not been able to start the project on time.

As per the Centre’s plan, works — to build a parallel runway, a taxi way and an integrated terminal— should have started early this month.

It was slated for completion in two years, so that the airport would be able to manage the growing traffic till 2016 — when the greenfield airport at Sriperumbudur is completed.

Refusing to comment on the project’s status, AAI chairman K Ramalingam said, “We are holding talks with the stakeholders.”

Meanwhile, residents have met Kancheepuram Collector to urge the government to develop the airport without affecting people.

Link:http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IE920080124222145&Page=9&Title=Chennai&Topic=0&

Message in Dinakaran 25_01_2008




Message in Dinamani 25-01-2008




Thursday, January 24, 2008

message in DailyThanthi_25-01-2008




New runway not planned: Aviation Ministry

KANCHEEPURAM: The Ministry of Civil Aviation has said that it had only applied for clearance from the Public Investment Board (PIB) for extending the secondary runway at the Chennai airport and not for constructing a new parallel runway.

According to a copy of a reply dated January 7 by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to queries raised by the public under the Right to Information Act, the AAI seem to have never planned for constructing a new parallel runway on the northern side of the Adyar. Claiming that there were no technical and economic feasibility reports available for the construction of a parallel runway, it said no environmental impact assessment report had been prepared either. Distributing copies of the reply to the press on Thursday, Thamizh Selvan, Balesh and Sumathi of Tharapakkam said they were at a loss to comprehend why the State government was keen on acquiring 1,650 acres of land in Tharapakkam, Kolapakkam, Gerugembakkam, Kovur and Manapakkam.

The AAI had no plans of constructing a new runway . It had not yet obtained clearance from the PIB for the extension of the secondary runway.

“Such being the case, what is the need to speed up the process of land acquisition,” they wondered.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/25/stories/2008012553420300.htm

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

"Oragadam model" may be adopted

KANCHEEPURAM: The "Oragadam model" of extending compensation for lands acquired for non-residential purposes is likely to be adopted in the Chennai airport expansion project.
Majority of landowners who have resisted the land acquisition process initiated by the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu at Oragadam last year, to assist a multi-national company for setting up its production unit, subsequently agreed to relinquish their rights over their lands after the SIPCOT announced a compensation package on a par with the market value.

Enquiries revealed that as far as the Chennai airport expansion project was concerned, agricultural lands formed a sizable portion of the total extent of land to be acquired for the project at Gerugambakkam, Kolapakkam, Tharapakkam, Kovur and Manapakkam, where residential colonies have sprung up during the last two decades.

While the idea of adopting the Oragadam model was being pursued seriously for extending compensation for vacant lands, alternative sites with 'minimum' compensation were likely to be offered to those who had invested in immovable properties at the above-mentioned hamlets, sources said.

Meanwhile, a group of people who have formed the United People's Forum for Survival (UPFS) forum presented a memorandum to Collector Santosh K. Misra on January 21, urging the governments to reconsider the airport expansion project.

UPFS secretary Ms. Brindha said the execution of the airport expansion project would result in environment and ecological problems for those living in the areas abutting the Chennai Airport.
It would also drain enormous amount of the exchequer in the form of compensation.
The Airport Authority and the governments could consider switching over to a satellite-based navigation system to control air traffic instead of the existing radar based system.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/23/stories/2008012359490500.htm

Thursday, January 17, 2008

CNN News- Citizen Journalist

http://www.ibnlive.com/videos/56565/homes-first-airport-later-chennai-motto.html

AAI will focus on development of infrastructure

CHENNAI: The Airports Authority of India will focus on improving infrastructure in airports across the country in the coming year to keep pace with the rapid growth in air traffic, K. Ramalingam, Chairman, Airports Authority of India, said on Wednesday.

The AAI has outlined a budget of Rs. 3,400 crore for projects in the coming year, a 78 per cent increase over last year.

The aviation industry grew by a record 33 per cent in 2007, and Dr. Ramalingam said there was an urgent need to prevent a mismatch between infrastructure on the ground and growth in the skies. “We should understand that infrastructure for today should have to be built yesterday,” he said. “We need to build infrastructure to meet the expansion of traffic, and we have to make sure there is no mismatch between technology on the ground and in the airspace.”
The AAI would particularly invest in developing Tier-II airports and execute around 35 non-metro projects. A number of projects were slated for southern airports. New terminals would come up in Madurai, Tiruchi and Coimbatore, and their runways would also be expanded—Madurai’s and Tiruchi’s to 7,500 feet and Coimbatore to 9,000 feet. Airports at Tuticorin, Salem, Puducherry and Rajahmundry would also be developed to allow operations of bigger aircraft.

While several of these projects would be handled on a “turnkey basis,” Dr. Ramalingam said, the AAI would seek to “compete” with the private sector to improve standards.
Chennai’s airport was set to undergo a rapid expansion in the coming months. Some developments were under way—a second cross-runway was made operational last month, and Dr. Ramalingam said it would go a long way in preventing traffic congestion.

Link:http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/17/stories/2008011752990500.htm

Residents stage hunger strike against airport expansion

TAMBARAM: Members of the United People’s Forum For Survival (UPFFS), an association of people living at Manapakkam, Kolapakkam, Gerugambakkam, Thaarapakkam and Kovur villages, staged a day-long hunger strike near the Tambaram Taluk office on Sunday, to protest against the proposal to acquire land for the Chennai airport expansion project.

The protestors said it was planned to acquire vast areas of developed land and also re-route a portion of the Adyar river, for the airport expansion project, the most important component of which was laying a new runway.

They said re-routing the river and building an elevated runway across it would cause severe hardships to residents of these villages and several others.

If the government went ahead with these works, an estimated five lakh people would be affected by flooding.

Land acquisition would affect not less than 5,000 people, Forum members told reporters. A permanent solution to the problem was developing a greenfield airport well outside city limits.

Link:http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/15/stories/2008011554220600.htm

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Ministry of Civil Aviation 2007: Year-end Review news

Expansion/modernisation of Chennai airport

An inter-ministerial group (IMG) under the chairmanship of secretary, ministry of civil aviation, has approved an action plan for the development of the Chennai airport. The proposal involves expansion of international and domestic terminal building to handle additional 13 million passengers per annum and major airside work, including extension of secondary runway at a total estimated cost of Rs1808 crore, for completion in June, 2010.

For Full article visit
http://www.domain-b.com/aero/gov_reg/20080102_aviation.html

CMDA Approved EVP TOWNSHIP to be DEMOLISHED






250 Houses in EVP Town to be Demolished






EVP Town affected by Chennai Airport Expansion

EVP Town affected by chennai airport expansion