HC: where is the infrastructure report?

HC: where is the infrastructure report?


The Karnataka High Court on Thursday strongly remarked on the issue of connectivity to the new international airport and asked the state infrastructure secretary to personally present in court on Friday the relevant material and reports.
Dissatisfied with the information provided regarding connectivity and accessibility, the court in a marathon four-and-half-hour hearing, expressed unhappiness over the way the state has handled the connectivity issue.
“Merely providing public transport isn’t sufficient. You don’t have figures of land acquisition or roads. We won’t accept ifs and buts. Where is the infrastructure report? Why should you put the public at risk? If you cannot provide uninterrupted access to a facility which caters to 12 million passengers in a year and if it takes three years to build an expressway or dedicated lane to the airport, it is better to shelve the project. If the state has committed blunder, let them face the consequences, pay compensation to them (BIAL),” the vacation division Bench headed by Justice Rammohan Reddy observed before adjourning the hearing to Friday.
Arvind Kumar, assistant solicitor general appearing on behalf of the central government, told the court that an order of stay or restraint on closure of HAL airport at this stage will send wrong signals in international business fora. “At this stage, the government of India cannot renege on its contractual obligations. We will try to persuade them (BIAL) on sharing of traffic by retaining the HAL airport for short-haul flights. Even at the two tripartite meetings, this aspect has been widely discussed. Discussion with regard to allowing planes below 80-seat capacity to operate from the old airport is continuing. The AAI had been asked to give a study report regarding the capacity of the new airport. It is still possible to restart operations from the old airport after talks,” he explained to the court.
Regarding user development fee (UDF), counsel explained that the fee for departing international passengers was fixed at Rs 1,070 each at the meeting.
Complaint against agreement: Bangalore-based Association for Outsourcing Professionals headed by former IT secretary Vivek Kulkarni has lodged a complaint with the MRTP Commission in Delhi against BIAL challenging the concessional agreement dated July 5, 2004, under the MRTP Act as well as the Competition Act.
The association has moved a separate petition in the high court challenging the commission’s reluctance to pass any order on its complaint. The MRTP commission has posted the matter for hearing on May 26.
Bangalore Connect Foundation, senior citizen B Krishna Bhat and city advocate G R Mohan have filed separate petitions seeking continuance of HAL airport till disposal of PIL for short-haul flights.
toiblr.reporter@timesgroup.com