Bengaluru, March 13 (NationPress) The government of Karnataka is planning to construct an airport in Ballari, which will greatly enhance accessibility to areas including Ballari, Hosapete, the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hampi, Anegondi, Sandur, Koppal, Kurugodu, and Siruguppa, as stated by Infrastructure Development Minister M.B. Patil on Friday.

A site approximately 19 km from Ballari has been pinpointed for this purpose. If deemed suitable, discussions will follow with local leaders from the three districts—Ballari, Vijayanagara, and Koppal—to advance the project, Minister Patil noted.

This statement came in response to a query from Gangavathi MLA G. Janardhana Reddy during a session in the Legislative Assembly.

MLA Reddy remarked, “In 2010, the government acquired 900 acres of land in Ballari at a cost of Rs 124 crore. For the airport to be effectively situated, it should lie between Hampi and Ballari city, which is a distance of 45 kilometers. However, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) declared the initial location unviable. Land was acquired based on their suggestions.”

“Fifteen years have elapsed since then. CM Siddaramaiah has served two terms, and the BJP held power for 3.5 years. Initially, the project was handed over to private entities, but they failed to deliver. Subsequently, the BJP government decided that the airport would be constructed by the state itself.”

“Now with the Congress-led government in place, my requests seem to be ignored,” Reddy expressed.

Minister Patil emphasized that the planned Ballari airport should serve not just the Ballari district but also the residents of Koppal and Vijayanagara districts. A meeting with public representatives from these districts will soon be organized under the Chief Minister's leadership to discuss the advantages and challenges of the initiative.

The newly proposed site is located approximately 33 km from Hosapete, 26 km from Hampi, 33 km from Sandur, 75 km from Koppal, 14 km from Kurugodu, 13 km from Toranagallu, and 43 km from Siruguppa. However, the AAI will need to assess the feasibility of this location for an airport, Patil clarified.

He stressed that airports should be strategically planned; otherwise, the same errors seen in Hubballi, Belagavi, and Vijayapura could be repeated. The distance between Belagavi and Hubballi airports is merely about 70 km. Had an airport been established at a midpoint between the two districts to accommodate both, it might have achieved international status based on passenger volume. The presence of the Indian Air Force in Belagavi has also bolstered that airport's significance.

“A comparable oversight has happened in Vijayapura as well. The airport nearing inauguration is constructed on the Kalaburagi Road. Had it been situated towards Almatti, it could have served regions like Badami, Aihole, Pattadakal, and Bagalkote.”

“An airport that becomes inactive post-construction is of little value. With this in mind, the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) has earmarked two new sites in Ballari district, measuring around 800 acres and 1,200 acres for the proposed airport,” he further detailed.

Airports across district and divisional headquarters nationwide are encountering similar issues. Bidar and Kalaburagi airports are also facing such hurdles, he added.

Currently, Bidar airport operates with the backing of the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board (KKRDB). There’s also a growing demand to reactivate operations at Kalaburagi airport, and measures will be undertaken in that regard.

“In this context, I have suggested to the Union Civil Aviation Minister that the UDAN scheme's duration be extended from three to five years, after which both the central and state governments should jointly sustain operations at a ratio of 50:50,” Patil stated.

If the airport is to be built at the originally designated site in Ballari, it will necessitate the construction of an eight-lane greenfield highway and encompass several other challenges. Just the land acquisition and compensation could equate to nearly the entire airport project cost, Minister Patil articulated.

Thus, that option is not realistically feasible. The final decision will be made at the Chief Minister's upcoming meeting, the minister concluded.