BIAL redesign by Dec. end

BIAL redesign by Dec. end
The Times of India

Bangalore: The redesign of the Bangalore International Airport — as sought by Union civil aviation minister Praful Patel — is expected to be completed before December end.

Even as Karnataka’s infrastructure minister P G R Sindhia met Patel in New Delhi on Thursday, Bangalore international airport limited CEO Albert Brunner told The Times of India: “We are working on the redesign in terms of the technical and financial elements, on the aspects of the capacity and size of the terminal building. We would like to prepare it very carefully, as it will have impact on the legal and financial agreements as well as on our business plan.’’

BIAL officials had also gone to Zurich recently to work out the finer details. The final design is expected to be placed at the next board meeting. “We are planning to hold this board meeting before Christmas, as soon as everyone is able to match dates,’’ Brunner added.

Patel’s second demand of redesigning the “look’’ of the airport, however, is yet to be addressed. The BIAL had planned to use locally available granite on pillars and the flooring, with traditional rangoli designs, to incorporate the native elements in the airport.

Patel, however, wants the “international’’ look with glass and steel. “This will also be addressed, but the minister will have to be a little patient, as this is our second priority,’’ Brunner said.

Work on the construction site, meanwhile, is continuing at full swing. The crew is yet to make up for the delay in earthwork caused due to the recent rains, but officials said: “the construction has made up for it.’’

Lintel level beams are being put on the technical administrative building, while concrete work has started on the terminal building. Brunner said the construction activity is done, keeping in mind the imminent expansion of the terminal to cater to the 11.4 million passengers instead of 4.5 million. “The basic structure is the same. When we expand, that many additional foundations will be put for the columns,’’ he added.

The BIAL is also putting together a website, which will have details of the ongoing construction along with pictures, in about three weeks time.

New chairman: BIAL will get a new chairperson only by January, after another round of talks between the Centre and the state. Infrastructure minister P G R Sindhia told reporters here on Friday that he had held one round of discussions with Union civil aviation minister Praful Patel and discussed some names.

Infosys chief mentor N R Narayana Murthy quit the post of BIAL chairperson after JD(S) national president H D Deve Gowda made some slighting references to the pace of progress on the airport. To a query on whether Wipro chief Azim Premji would replace Murthy, Sindhia said: “We waited to see if Murthy would continue in the post, now we are looking at the options. It could be anyone.’’

MoU: AAI will sign an MoU with the state government to build airports at Hassan and Gulbarga in January. “Formalities have been completed. We are waiting for the zilla and taluk panchayat elections to conclude before signing this MoU,’’ Sindhia said.

FIFTH MONTH REPORT CARD

Work on

• Redesigning the airport’s technical aspects and finances to upgrade passenger capacity to 11.4 million annually.

• Terminal building

• Technical and administrative building

• Boundary wall on the North, East and South sides (3.5 km of 16 km completed)

•Runway (3.2 km of 4 km being formed)

• Taxiway being formed

Completed

• Site offices, workers quarters

• Material testing labs

• Pre-casting yard

• Machinery workshop