Karnataka Minsiter MB Patil confirms second international airport for Bengaluru
Bengaluru: Amid discussions over considering a second airport for Bengaluru city, Infrastructure Development Minister MB Patil on Wednesday confirmed the coming up of the new international airport dedicated to the city.
Patil speaking to media persons at Vidhana Soudha on Thursday stated, "Bengaluru, which is one of the fastest growing cities in terms of industrial growth and population globally, needs another international airport to handle over 100 million passengers annually and a four and a half thousand to five thousand acres of land will be required for this purpose, and a high-level committee will consider it and finalize it.”
"Bengaluru is also the technology and innovation capital of the country, and the present Kempegowda International Airport is the third busiest airport after Delhi and Mumbai in the country. At present, it handles 52 million passengers and 0.71 million tons of cargo per year. He explained that it can be expanded up to 1.10 million tonnes and it will reach the maximum level by 2035. KIAL now has two runways, in which expansion is not possible,” he clarified.
ALSO READ: Karnataka nets Rs 6,450 crore investment commitment from Japan and South Korea: Minister MB Patil
"By 2035, Kempegowda Airport will reach its maximum capacity. Following our project announcement, the Tamil Nadu government proposed a new airport in Hosur, but we have no issue with that," Patil added.
The minister outlined several requirements for the new airport, including the absence of nearby hills, rivers, or seas, as well as quality state/national highway, rail, and metro connectivity. He mentioned potential locations such as Kanakapura Road, Mysore Road, Magadi, Doddaballapur, Dabasapete, and Tumkur.
Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), which built KIAL, had stipulated that no new airport should be established within a 150 km radius until 2033. Patil noted that this restriction will expire by 2033, and with immediate action, the new airport could be operational by then.
"Second airports have been constructed 35-40 km from existing airports in Delhi and Mumbai. We will consider similar distances," Patil assured, emphasizing that the proposed airport will enhance convenience in all aspects.
In addition, Patil also revealed about holding discussions about the state's industrial development with Union Industries Minister HD Kumaraswamy. He plans to personally visit and submit a proposal to the Centre, highlighting the state's interest in attracting major industries, including semiconductor manufacturing, with full state government support.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Congress standing with CM Siddaramaiah, will support him, says party President Kharge
Bengaluru (PTI): Congress President M Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday said the party is standing with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and will support him as he faces a probe by Lokayukta police in the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) site allotment case.
Rejecting BJP's demand for Siddaramaiah's resignation, he noted that "neither a chargesheet is filed, nor he is convicted," and said, "let the law take its own course, and when a situation comes, the party will examine."
"When the Godhra incident happened, whether (Narendra) Modi ji had resigned (as the then Gujarat CM)? Several cases were also pending against him at that time, even against Mr Shah (Union Home Minister Amit Shah)," Kharge said in response to a question on BJP questioning CM's moral right to continue, with FIR slated to be registered against him.
Speaking to reporters here, he said: "Don't target a particular person to damage his image, through him the party will also be damaged. Your (BJP) interest is to damage the Congress party, not the individual. He may be here today or may not be, the party will continue. Just to destroy the Congress party and the Congress party's base votes, they want to destroy, that is why they are doing this."
Let the law take its own course, and when a situation comes, the party will examine it at that time, he further said. "Now nothing is there, (but) every day I'm seeing that MUDA, MUDA. Crores of rupees (have been) swallowed by industrialists, Rs 16 lakh crore of their debt have been written off, and now you are taking one small issue and fighting. That too neither chargesheet is filed, nor he is convicted. Every day this is news. I'm fed up seeing all these things."
Asked whether the Congress high command will stand with the Chief Minister, even after the registering of FIR, Kharge said: "that is a hypothetical question. We are standing with him, we will support him, because he represents the party, not (an) individual."
A Special Court here on Wednesday ordered a Lokayukta police probe against Siddaramaiah in the case, setting the stage for filing of an FIR against him.
The order of the Special Court Judge, Santhosh Gajanan Bhat, came a day after the High Court upheld the sanction granted by the Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot to conduct an investigation against Siddaramaiah on the allegations of illegalities in the allotment of 14 sites to his wife B M Parvathi by MUDA.
The Special Court exclusively to deal with criminal cases related to former and elected MPs/MLAs issued the order directing the Lokayukta police in Mysuru to initiate an investigation on the complaint filed by RTI activist Snehamayi Krishna.
In the MUDA site allotment case, it is alleged that compensatory sites were allotted to Siddaramaiah's wife in an upmarket area in Mysuru, which had higher property value as compared to the location of her land which had been "acquired" by MUDA.
The MUDA had allotted plots to Parvathi under a 50:50 ratio scheme in lieu of 3.16 acres of her land, where it developed a residential layout.
Under the controversial scheme, MUDA allotted 50 per cent of developed land to the land losers in lieu of undeveloped land acquired from them for forming residential layouts.
It is alleged that Parvathi had no legal title over this 3.16 acres of land at survey number 464 of Kasare village, Kasaba hobli of Mysuru taluk.
