Renewed push for reopening Bengaluru’s HAL Airport for commercial flights
Bengaluru: A high level stakeholders' meeting was held on April 15 in New Delhi to discuss restarting commercial operations at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Airport in Bengaluru. The meeting was convened in the light of increasing air traffic congestion and long travel times to the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), revolved around obtaining regulatory approvals and operational frameworks.
The HAL Airport which was the city's major air traffic hub up to 2008, was closed to civilian flights after the opening of KIA. Since then, it has continued to operate for military, VVIP, and private charter services. With two-hour road travel to KIA on many occasions because of bottlenecks at the Hebbal interchange and the Metro link being over two years from completion, there is renewed focus on strategic benefits of reviving the centrally located HAL plant.
Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya, who is pushing for its revival, has confirmed that both Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) have shown interest, though their stands are different. AAI is said to be keen to handle operations itself, whereas BIAL has cited a no-compete clause in its concession arrangement. With this difference unresolved, the Civil Aviation Secretary has asked for further consultations to work out possible arrangements.
The airport infrastructure remains largely intact with a runway, measuring 3,306 metres and equipped with a Category I Instrument Landing System, is capable of handling wide-body aircraft including Boeing 747s. In its last year of commercial service, HAL Airport had an annual passenger handling capacity of 10 million. Thirty parking bays, two helipads, and other support infrastructure continue to be in use for existing non-commercial flight operations.
Sources indicate that AAI has drawn up a master plan for reviving commercial services. This includes upgrades to the terminal building and provision for a multi-level parking facility for around 500 vehicles. However, a government notification issued in April 2024, formalising the extension of BIAL’s concession agreement till 2063, did not reference a clause discussed earlier that would have allowed BIAL to also operate HAL for limited civilian use.
Even so, HAL has reportedly remained in conversation with both the Union Government and BIAL to explore mutually agreeable terms under which the airport can resume partial commercial operations. A phased reopening, suggested by aviation analysts, is being considered. The proposal includes allowing select short-haul flights, especially during off-peak hours. This could include late-night flights to major metros and regional connections to destinations such as Hubballi. Former HAL spokesperson Gopal Sutar said that the airport could be made flight-ready within weeks, should the required approvals be issued.
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Uncontrolled digging could erase Dharmasthala mass burial evidence: Soil scientist warns SIT
Bengaluru: A soil scientist, who has studied tropical lateritic soils, has released a note in anonymity, warning the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing alleged mass burials in Dharmasthala (1994–2014) that improper excavation could permanently destroy critical forensic evidence.
The scientist cautioned that in the coastal, high-rainfall environment of Dharmasthala, bones from older graves are often not visually present due to the region’s acidic laterite soil, which accelerates decomposition. “In these conditions, the visual absence of bones does not mean there was no burial,” the expert stressed. “Chemical and microscopic soil analysis may be the only way to detect older graves.”
According to the soil scientist, Dharmasthala’s lateritic soil has a pH of 4.5–6, is porous and rich in iron and aluminium oxides, and is subject to over 3,500 mm of annual rainfall. These factors together cause rapid bone mineral dissolution and collagen breakdown. “In as little as 15–20 years, complete skeletons can be reduced to just teeth, enamel shards, or micro-residues,” the scientist said.
Drawing on comparisons with Rwanda, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, and Srebrenica, the scientist estimated that:
- Graves less than 15 years old have a reasonable chance of yielding skeletons.
- Graves 15–20 years old may yield only partial skeletons and teeth.
- Burials older than 20 years often retain only chemical signatures and microscopic fragments.
“In Dharmasthala’s soil, the probability of finding a full skeleton after two decades is near zero,” the expert said.
‘JCBs will destroy what’s left’
The soil scientist was particularly critical of the use of heavy machinery in the investigation. “Uncontrolled digging with JCBs can obliterate brittle bone fragments, erase burial stratigraphy, and mix burial soil with surrounding soil, diluting chemical signals,” he warned. “It’s equivalent to destroying the crime scene.”
The scientist emphasised that disturbed lateritic soil can quickly resemble undisturbed ground, making it almost impossible to detect graves later.
GPR as a map, not a microscope
The expert also noted that Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) could play a limited role in the investigation. “GPR can help locate soil disturbances, but in wet, iron-rich lateritic soils, it cannot ‘see bones.’ For burials decades old, chemical analysis of soil is far more reliable,” he said.
Call for controlled forensic exhumation
The soil scientist urged the SIT to stop all mechanical digging and adopt a forensic protocol:
- Use GPR or other non-invasive methods to locate anomalies.
- Excavate in small, measured layers under forensic supervision.
- Collect soil samples for chemical and microscopic analysis.
- Sieve soil to recover micro bone fragments and teeth.
“Only a controlled, scientific approach will preserve what little evidence may remain in this environment,” the scientist said. “If these traces are destroyed, the truth about the alleged burials may never be proven.”
The SIT is investigating allegations of mass burials linked to the disappearance of individuals between 1994 and 2014 in Dharmasthala. No official response to the scientist’s concerns has been issued.
