Congress legislators seek second international airport in Bengaluru South

Namma Metro, NICE road and the newly-developed Bengaluru-Mysuru express road will enable easy movement of passengers if the second airport in located in Bengaluru South, say Congress MLAs, MLCs

A dozen ruling Congress legislators in Karnataka have submitted a memorandum to the State government demanding that it expedite the process of setting up the proposed second international airport in the southern part of the Bengaluru to fuel economic growth in the region.

Ramanagara MLA H.A. Iqbal Hussain, Magadi MLA H.C. Balakrishna, Malavalli MLA P.M, Narendraswamy, Srirangapatna MLA A.B. Ramesh Bandisiddegowda, Maddur MLA K.M. Uday, Mandya MLA P. Ravikumar, Anekal MLA B. Shivanna, Nelamangala MLA N. Srinivas, MLCs S. Ravi, Dinesh Guligowda, and Congress leader Venkataramana Gowda have urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Industries and Infrastructure Minister M.B. Patil to identity a suitable location for the second airport in Bengaluru South to fuel economic and commercial activities in Bengaluru South and in the districts of Ramanagara, Mandya and Mysuru.

KIA in north

Currently, Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) is located in Bengaluru North.

The legislators argued that many passengers to KIA are from the Bengaluru South region such as Electronics City, Bommanahalli, Bannerghatta, Jayanagara, J.P. Nagar, Kanakapura, Magadi Road and Ramanagara. The establishment of the second airport in Bengaluru South would benefit passengers residing in the localities in the south, they said.

In their memorandum, the legislators said that the southern parts of Benglauru are connected with Namma Metro and NICE Road. Location of the proposed airport in the South would reduce the traffic congestion and ease movement of vehicles.

Connect to Mysuru

They also said the newly-developed Bengaluru-Mysuru express highway would also enable quick movement of passengers from the airport. The connectivity to Mysuru would also fuel the economic growth of peripheral regions of the Bengaluru city, the Congress leaders said.

Moreover, the industrial town Bidadi is located in the southern part of the city and the location of the airport in the region would benefit entrepreneurs. It would also boost tourism in Ramanagara, Mandya, Maddur, Srirangapatna and Mysuru.

The State Cabinet should take a decision on setting up the airport in Bengaluru South and take steps for acquisition of land, the legislators said.

Consulting firms IDeCK [Infrastructure Development Corporation (Karnataka) Ltd.] and BCG, had identified a few potential sites in and around Bengaluru.

Factors to consider

Mr. Patil said that the final decision will be based on factors such as passenger density, connectivity, industrial growth, cargo potential, and environmental considerations like the presence of rivers, hills, and biodiversity.

Mr. Shivakumar, who also holds the Bengaluru City Development portfolio, stated that Mr. Patil has already held several rounds of meetings with various stakeholders regarding the construction of the second airport for Bengaluru. The government aimed to complete the second airport by 2033.

Published - October 22, 2024 11:03 pm IST