Hassan yet to grow wings as promised; airport plan hit by delays

Hassan:  Hassan airport was approved many, many years ago, but still there are big hurdles in the way of its completion. For several decades, the residents of Hassan had hoped for an airport, but they now have to wait for much more time for its fructification. 

In the first phase of the project, works costing Rs. 64 crore are still in progress, while the second phase and third phase of the project have almost been completed. The final layer of the 2,230-meter runway is pending, while the change of electrical high-tension lines is yet to be implemented.  Many facilities have been promised such as a parking lot, for which 55 acres is required in the periphery.  

The contractor, however, says that the fencing wall work is yet to be done and if all the bottlenecks are resolved, the work will be completed within a year.

Context

 The Hassan Airport is an under-construction greenfield airport, and is being built by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).  The project was scheduled for opening in 2023.

The airport will feature a new passenger terminal building, aircraft apron, singular 2.8-km and 300-metre wide runway as well as car parking facilities.  It is designed to operate small ATR-72 type aircraft and will be able to handle about 200 passengers during peak hour. The Karnataka State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (KSIIDC) is implementing the work.  

Ibrahim Sharief, a contractor from Tirthahalli in Shivamogga, has bagged the construction work.  Former Prime Minister H.D.  Deve Gowda had laid the foundation stone for the project in 2007, when the JDS-BJP coalition was in power in Karnataka.  

However, the work did not progress later, as the private company that bagged the project did not start work on the ground.  The government then issued a fresh order in June 2021 for the project.

The project has now been taken up at an estimated cost of Rs. 193.65 crore, and so far, Rs. 164.70 crore has been released to the contractor for works.  The work includes construction of a compound wall, runway, apron, peripheral roads, terminal, ATC tower, hangar, fire brigade, water supply, and electrification, among others.