Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa has announced a grant of ₹175 crore in his budget for the airport coming up at Boovanahalli near Hassan. With this, the long-pending project, for which a groundbreaking ceremony was held in 2007, has got a fillip.
In his budget, the Chief Minister said the work of Hassan airport which had been pending for more than 10 years would be commenced this year at a cost of ₹175 crore. Additional Chief Secretary Kapil Mohan and senior officers of KPTCL had visited the site identified for the airport near Hassan on February 28. The officers, during the visit, discussed how the hurdles affecting the airport could be cleared. KPTCL has taken up shifting of the 220kV powerline, which passes through 536 acres of land acquired for the project. During his visit Mr. Kapil Mohan said the construction of the airport could begin this year and also hinted a piece of good news for Hassan residents in the budget.
An airport for Hassan has been discussed for decades. In the 1960s, the Central Public Works Department had proposed an airport with a capacity to handle 50 arrivals and 50 departures a day near the city. A preliminary notification for land acquisition was issued in 1969. However, it did not proceed further.
During the JD(S)-BJP coalition government, headed by H.D. Kumaraswamy, former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda took part in the groundbreaking ceremony for the project. The government had proposed the project on a build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) model. Jupiter Aviation Services Ltd had taken up the project. The company wanted 960 acres of land to execute the project. The agreement was cancelled during the JD(S)-Congress rule.
Besides this, the Chief Minister had proposed to enhance seats at Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences in Hassan. He proposed to set up an automated vehicle driving testing path in Hassan, among other cities. With an intention to bring down accidents, the Chief Minister proposed to introduce an intelligent traffic management system and safety solution on important roads including Hassan-Ramanathapura-Periyapatna road on a pilot basis. He earmarked ₹20 crore for residential accommodation and other facilities at Shravanabelagola and other Jain pilgrimage centres.
