JD(S) firm on blocking airport clearance

JD (S) hurdles may delay airport project

Vijay Times News

Bangalore: The much-hyped Devanahalli International airport is set to face another hurdle with pressure mounting on the State Government to review the land acquisition and reduce its contribution to the project.
Top sources in the Government told Vijay Times that despite its repeated assurances that the financial closure and land lease agreements would be completed in a couple of days, it will take a few more months to materialise. Sources maintained that Janata Dal(S) has taken serious objections to three main components of the project __ land acquisition, project cost and state's share.

JD(S) feels that the State Government has acquired more land than required and injustice has been meted out to farmers while acquiring land. Sources said that the Government acquired 4,316 acres of land which includes 2,481 acres of private lands and most of these belong to 1,125 farmers who have been paid a compensation of Rs 131 crore.

The coalition partner has demanded to know why over 1,000 acres of land was acquired in excess while the requirement was only 2,500 acres. They want nearly 500 to 700 acres of land to be retained by the government before singing the land lease agreement with the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL). The party has also demanded reduction of Rs 50 to Rs 60 crore in the proposed state government's investment of Rs 350 crore.
The JD (S) also wants reduction of the project cost. To begin with, the project cost was fixed at Rs 1,260 crore and now it has been escalated to Rs 1,334 crore. Chief Minister Dharam Singh has already announced that a feasibility study would be conducted to reduce the cost.

Interestingly, Dharam Singh had assured Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at a meeting in New Delhi on December 3 that a financial closure would be given to the project on December 8. However, nothing has been done so far. The government may form a committee to conduct a feasibility study for the project as it did in case of Bangalore Mysore Express Highway project, sources added.