Karnataka Plans New Ballari Airport to Boost Tourism in Hampi Region

In this regard, a site located about 19 km from Ballari has been identified. If the location is found to be feasible, the next steps will be taken after discussions with public representatives from the three districts -- Ballari, Vijayanagara and Koppal, Minister Patil said.

He was replying in detail to a question raised by Gangavathi MLA G. Janardhana Reddy in the Legislative Assembly.

MLA Reddy stated, "The government had acquired 900 acres of land in Ballari in 2010 at a cost of Rs 124 crore. If we need to build an airport in Ballari, it has to be located between Hampi and Ballari city as the distance is 45 kilometres. However, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) stated that it was not feasible. They had finalised the location and the government acquired land accordingly.

"It has been 15 years since then. CM Siddaramaiah has served as Chief Minister for two terms. The BJP was also in power for 3.5 years. Initially, the project was given to private players but they could not build it. Later, the BJP government decided that the airport would be constructed by the government itself."

"Now the Congress-led government has come, but my appeals have fallen on deaf ears," Reddy stated.

Minister Patil said the proposed Ballari airport should benefit not only Ballari district but also people from Koppal and Vijayanagara districts. In this regard, a meeting of public representatives from the three districts will soon be convened under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister to deliberate on the merits and challenges of the project.

The newly identified site is located about 33 km from Hosapete, 26 km from Hampi, 33 km from Sandur, 75 km from Koppal, 14 km from Kurugodu, 13 km from Toranagallu and 43 km from Siruguppa. However, the suitability of this location for establishing an airport will have to be determined by the Airports Authority of India, Patil explained.

He said airports must be planned with foresight; otherwise, the same mistakes seen in Hubballi, Belagavi and Vijayapura would be repeated. The distance between Belagavi and Hubballi airports is only about 70 km. If an airport had been constructed at a location between the two districts to serve both regions, it might have been declared an international airport based on passenger traffic. He also noted that the presence of the Indian Air Force in Belagavi has worked to that airport's advantage.

"A similar mistake has been made in Vijayapura as well. The airport that is now ready for inauguration has been constructed on the Kalaburagi Road. If it had instead been located towards Almatti, it would have benefited places such as Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal and Bagalkote.

"There is little use if an airport becomes inactive after construction. Keeping this in mind, the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) has identified two new sites in Ballari district measuring about 800 acres and 1,200 acres for the proposed airport," he explained.

Airports located in district and divisional headquarters across the country are facing similar challenges. Bidar and Kalaburagi airports are also experiencing such difficulties, he said.

At present, Bidar airport is functioning with the support of the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board (KKRDB). There has also been a demand to resume operations at Kalaburagi airport, and steps will be taken in that direction.

"In this context, I have proposed to the Union Civil Aviation Minister that the UDAN scheme be extended from three years to five years, and that for the subsequent five years the Centre and the state should jointly support operations in a 50:50 ratio," Patil said.

If the airport were to be constructed at the previously identified site in Ballari, it would require the construction of an eight-lane greenfield highway and involve several other issues. Land acquisition and compensation alone would cost nearly as much as the airport project itself, Minister Patil said.

Therefore, that option is not practically feasible. The matter will ultimately be finalised at the meeting to be held under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister, the minister stated.

- IANS