The Hindu Business Line : Centre consulting TN, Bengal on airports revamp

The Centre will complete the process of consultations with the Tamil Nadu and West Bengal Governments in the next three months, to carry forward the process of modernisation of Chennai and Kolkata airports, the Minister for Civil Aviation, Mr Praful Patel has said.

Briefing newspersons after a meeting with the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, the Civil Aviation Minister said that the Government was attaching the "highest priority" to the development of the two metro airports. "The airports need to be upgraded as soon as possible," Mr Patel added.

Official sources indicated that the empowered Group of Ministers (e-GoM) headed by the Defence Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, was likely to start consultations with the state governments soon. The Defence Minister headed the e-GoM that finalised the joint venture partners for the modernisation of Delhi and Mumbai airports.

"No specific proposal for modernising the airports at Chennai and Kolkata was taken up at today's meeting," the Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Mr Montek Singh Ahluwalia added.

The Government has already indicated its intention to modernise the airport in Chennai. The Economic Survey 2005-06 had stated that an in-principle decision had been taken to modernise the Chennai airport through the joint venture route. The Left parties have already indicated that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) should be involved with the development of Kolkata airport.

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