Rift as 42 MLAs want Sira to house second Bengaluru airport: Report
Bengaluru: Forty-two lawmakers cutting across party lines have reportedly signed a petition urging Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to set up Bengaluru’s second international airport at Sira in Tumakuru, about 120 km from the capital city. The campaign, led by senior Congress leader TB Jayachandra, challenges the locations selected by his own government.
The state government has shortlisted three locations for the second airport: two on Kanakapura Road near Harohalli and one on Kunigal Road in Nelamangala. However, Jayachandra, the Sira MLA, argued that the city’s expanding population and future needs make Sira the ideal choice, as reported by Deccan Herald on Tuesday.
Confirming the backing of 42 MLAs for the petition, he emphasised the long-term strategic benefits of selecting Sira over the other sites, pointed out that Sira is close to HAL's helicopter factory and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) facility at Challakere in neighbouring Chitradurga.
"The locations selected now don’t have water. In Sira, there's water from the Hemavathi river, the Bhadra river and the Yettinahole project," DH quoted Jayachandra, Karnataka’s special representative in New Delhi, as saying. He also cited the availability of 6,000 acres of land in Sira, which he believes is ideal for setting up an international airport.
However, Industries and Infrastructure Development Minister MB Patil has expressed strong opposition to the idea, noting that Sira is not a viable location for an international airport
"We're talking about a second international airport for Bengaluru, not a district airport," Patil remarked. He added that they want to propose a district airport for the Tumakuru-Sira-Chitradurga region.
Patil also raised questions about the location’s practicality for potential investors. “If Home Minister G Parameshwara and I, as residents of Sadashivanagar, wanted to fly to New Delhi, would we go to Sira?” Patil questioned, stressing that potential investors like the Ambanis, Bengaluru International Airport Ltd (BIAL), or the Tatas would carefully assess the economic feasibility of building an airport in the region.
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'Blood in river' rant: Owaisi reminds Bilawal of Benazir Bhutto's killing by homegrown terrorists
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Apr 28 (PTI): AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday criticised Pakistani politician Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari for his "blood would flow in rivers" remark, reminding him of the killing of his mother, Benazir Bhutto, by home-grown terrorists.
He also referred to former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi as a "joker" for his statement on the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed the lives of 26 tourists.
The Hyderabad MP said Pakistan should be placed on the 'grey list' of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and advocated for cyber attacks against the neighbouring nation.
When asked about Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari's statement against India following its withdrawal from the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), Owaisi remarked that Bhutto-Zardari should question who was responsible for his mother's death, emphasising that "she was killed by such homegrown terrorists."
Former Pakistan PM Benazir Bhutto was assassinated on December 27, 2007, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
After India suspended the IWT, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari declared, "The Indus is ours and will remain ours—either our water will flow through it, or their blood."
Speaking to reporters, Owaisi said his party- the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen- supports the Centre's decision to suspend the IWT.
However, he raised concerns about where the water from the Indus River would be stored after the treaty's suspension, stating, "It has to be stored somewhere."
Under the World Bank-brokered treaty, India was granted exclusive rights to the water of the eastern rivers -- the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi -- amounting to an average annual flow of about 33 million acre-feet (MAF). The water of the western rivers -- the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab -- with an average annual flow of around 135 MAF, was largely allocated to Pakistan.
With the treaty now put in abeyance, the government is looking at ways to utilise the water of the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab.
Owaisi asserted that Pakistan should be placed on the FATF grey list to highlight its financing of terrorism through illegal means.
He also urged the government to launch cyber attacks against Pakistan, citing Article 51 of the UN Charter, which provides the right to act in self-defence.
Additionally, he demanded that the Narendra Modi government rethink its deterrent policy since incidents like the Pahalgam attack were taking place even after airstrikes.
Reiterating his support for the Centre's decisions, Owaisi remarked, "Pakistan should understand that India's defence budget is bigger than their entire budget. They are 20 years behind India. The politicians there just keep blabbering. That country is facing internal issues. They can't manufacture medicines for malaria but keep talking about fighting India."
Speaking on the Waqf Amendment Act, Owaisi opposed its provisions, arguing that they violated the Constitution.
Regarding the inclusion of non-Muslims on Waqf boards, he questioned, "Wouldn't it be painful if we asked for non-Hindus to be included in the Pandharpur temple trust?"
#WATCH | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra | On Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's "Blood will flow" remark after Pahalgam attack, AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi says,"...Bachpane ki baatein nahi karna..His mother was killed by their homegrown terrorists...Does he even know what he is… pic.twitter.com/yVn7jegwKn
— ANI (@ANI) April 28, 2025
