International Airport: How to get there?

How to get there?
Deccan Herald

Once Devanahalli international airport opens, the issue would be about connectivity to the City. The proposed Metro Rail does not have the airport in its plan.

It’s still early days in the 33-month project taken up for the international airport at Devanahalli by Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL).

However, connectivity to the airport is already a matter of debate. Once the airport opens, the almost 35 km drive from Bangalore to Devanahalli would be a different experience altogether. With the proposed Metro Rail not having the airport in its plan, passengers will have to hit the road to get to the city.

Mr Sivaramakrishnan S Iyer, the BIAL Chief Projects Officer, says that Metro’s no-show wouldn’t make a major difference but asserts that good roads have a crucial role to play after the airport is opened. “Not many passengers would take a Metro train to the city since they invariably carry baggage of substantial weight. Metro can ease the rush from roads and that’s where roads become an important supplement to the airport,” says Mr Iyer.

Most of the airports abroad have accepted metro rail or monorail networks as an effective option for passengers commuting to and from the airports.

If monorail’s success rate in less-populated areas is any indication, the airport could do well with such connectivity. Mr Iyer believes that the airport’s operations would also depend on how the city’s infrastructure shapes by the time the project winds up.

Big boom

As real estate gets set for the big boom around the site, connectivity is bound to become an issue.

However, Mr Iyer says that’s much later and hopes that all the State departments involved would come together to ensure a smooth ride.

“For such a huge project, difficulties are bound to be there. We’ll deal with them as and when they come up,” he says.

Water, power and telephone connections are in place. A co-ordination office is also operational. Boundary pillars are being erected, even as workers remove patches of vegetation from the ground.

BIAL also plans to record the progress of work at the site. “We are thinking of options like aerial photographs and satellite images,” says Mr Iyer.

The April 2, 2008 deadline will make Devanahalli airport the first fully operational greenfield airport in the country. Talks are on for more greenfield airports in Mopa in Goa, Navi Mumbai, Chakan near Pune, Ludhiana, Kannur, Kohima and Pakyong in Sikkim, apart from the upcoming greenfield airport in Shamshabad near Hyderabad.

The stature certainly demands exhaustive effort and dedication, but BIAL believes that pro-active work would see them sail through.

“There’s no rocket science involved. All we need is the drive to perform,” says Mr Iyer.