The work related to construction of Shivamogga airport was kickstarted by Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa through video conferencing from his office in Bengaluru on Monday.
It may be mentioned here that in 2007, the State government had acquired 663 acres of land in Sogane on the outskirts of Shivamogga city and the work had commenced in June, 2008. However, owing to differences with the private joint venture company that had bagged the contract for execution of the project, the work had come to a standstill.
The State government in November 2019 had taken a decision to implement the work afresh through the Public Works Department. According to the revised estimate, the project would be implemented at a cost of ₹220 crore. The airport would have a 2,050-metre-long runway that would be later extended to 3,000 metres.
In the first phase, the work of construction of runway, approach roads, peripheral roads and compound wall would be taken up. The passenger and air traffic control terminals would be constructed in the second phase. It has been planned to complete the construction work by 18 months.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Yediyurappa said that the air connectivity would help Shivamogga district to attract industrial investment and tourism activities as Malnad is dotted with places of scenic attraction.
He said that along with the airport work, a slew of road and railway connectivity upgradation projects are being implemented in the district. “The ongoing work of construction of 2.16-km-long bridge across Sharavathi river backwater to connect Kalasavalli and Ambaragodlu villages and that of widening Shivamogga-Tumakuru road into a four-lane stretch would be completed in an expeditious manner,” he said.
K.S. Eshwarappa, Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, and B.Y. Raghavendra, Shivamogga MP, were present.
