Despite AAI dampener, airport hope takes wings

New Delhi: Despite the negative opinion of Airport Authority of India (AAI) regarding the feasibility of Amravati airport, Union minister of state for civil aviation Mahesh Sharma has responded positively to the strong wishes of Union minister Nitin Gadkari and public representatives of Amravati, deciding to study the airport proposal afresh.

Sharma announced this at a meeting, arranged with the initiative of Gadkari, with guardian minister of the district Pravin Pote, MLAs Sunil Deshmukh, Yashomati Thakur, Ravi Rana, Bachchu Kadu, Anil Bonde, Prabhudas Bhilawekar, Ramesh Bundile, Virendra Jagtap and collector Kiran Gitte at New Delhi on Thursday.

Gadkari impressed upon the minister the need of developing Belora airstrip into a full-fledged airport for the overall development of Vidarbha in spite of AAI opining that Amravati airport would not be feasible financially. He strongly insisted on dropping the feasibility condition so that the road for development of the airstrip into an airport could be paved.

The state government had issued a GR for development of Amravati airport on the lines of Jalgaon-Khandesh in February 2014 and agreed to handover 411-acre land to AAI on a 60-year lease, besides agreeing to grant some other concessions. Despite this, no MoU could be signed between the two to date as the consultant appointed by AAI to test the feasibility of the proposed airport had opined that the project would not be feasible financially. Gadkari requested the minister to drop this 'hassle' of feasibility and move ahead with the proposal.

Air India has already expressed its readiness to start a small flight for Mumbai via Jalgaon from Amravati. If it happens, it will definitely boost the development of Amravati and western Vidarbha. With the civil aviation ministry respecting the sentiments of the people's representatives here, the hope of a full-fledged airport coming up at Belora in near future is still alive.