Protost against airport expansion
The proposed airport expansion in the cotton city has run into trouble, as nearly 2,000 people observed a fast off Avinashi Road, protesting against the move to acquire residential and industrial lands for the proposed expansion of the Coimbatore Airport. A master plan for the expansion of the Coimbatore Airport at a cost of Rs 57 crore, to be implemented in 18 months, is under implementation. An integrated cargo complex, a parallel taxi way for ensuring faster handling of aircraft movements, extended runway length from 8,500 metres to 9,700 metres, and an additional terminal building with aero bridges for handling international aircraft are also on the cards. The airport expansion move to convert it into an international airport would lead to demolition of over 2,000 houses, 15 mills, 50 industries and two schools, resulting in the dislocation of over 10,000 people, residents claimed.Despite repeated representations, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) was suspected to be going ahead with its plans for land acquisition, the agitators said quoting media reports and activities of the revenue and airport officials who were keen on conducting surveys. In the absence of any concrete assurance either from the AAI or the state government, the residents had no other option but to resort to agitations in a bid to draw the attention of the government, they said. The Airports Authority of India is developing airports in the southern part of the country with an outlay of Rs 220 crore, K Ramalingam, regional executive director, AAI, Chennai, said. Madurai and Tiruchi are among the airports that have been taken up for expansion, he told mediapersons on the sidelines of a seminar on aerospace structures.
