While the handing over Abdullapuram-Alangayam Road (SH 122) for the Vellore airport runway connectivity is expected to be done soon, the State Highways Department will soon start work on a permanent parallel road to connect the villages.
The State Highways Department has to hand over 775 meters of land on Abdullapuram-Alangayam Road to the Airports Authority of India for completion of the airstrip at the upcoming Vellore airport. To ensure smooth flow of traffic and connectivity, a parallel mud road, for close to one kilometre, is being laid. This will run along the airport compound wall and again reconnect with the SH 122.
“The process of handing over SH 122 to the airport is still in progress, and will be done soon. But we will start work on making a mud road, adjacent to the Abdullapuram-Alangayam Road, motorable by October 15. However, it will take some time to complete laying the permanent road on that stretch,” said an official.
An official from the Vellore Local Administration said that obstacles on both sides of the runway will also be removed. “Trees, electric poles and other structures with an elevation of 15 meters will be removed on both sides. We expect the airport to be commissioned by March 2021,” the official added.
After the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issues an airport licence and the Civil Aviation Ministry carries out spot inspections, the Vellore airport will provide connectivity to airports in Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad. 20-seater planes will ply between these airports.
The Vellore airport was sanctioned under the second phase of the UDAN-RCS (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik- Regional Connectivity) Scheme.
