FERVENT APPEAL TO THE HON’BLE CHIEF MINISTER OF TAMILNADU
Greetings to You Madam & We, the people, Congratulate You and Wish You a Great Success !
On behalf of the families at Manapakkam, Gerugampakkam, Kolapakkam and Tharapakkam affected by land acquisition for the proposed Parallel runway plan for Chennai airport expansion , the following appeal is submitted for the kind consideration of The Hon’ble Chief Minister of Tamilnadu:
· With your vision and dream to develop TamilNadu as No.1 state in the country, during The Hon’ble Chief Minister’s earlier stewardship 2001 thru 2006, it was decided to expand the existing airport at Meenambakkam by acquiring lands at Pozhichalur, Pammal, Anakaputhur and nearby villages
· During the above said period, we invested our life savings and bought CMDA approved lands and houses in Manapakkam, Gerugampakkam, Kolapakkam and Tharapakkam villages which were not at all considered for the expansion purposes.
· While the Airport expansion plan was in progress, the subsequent Government formed by Mr.M.Karunanithi altered above mentioned plan and decided to acquire our lands and houses for Airport expansion, runway construction in spite of clear CMDA approvals.
· On July 9th 2007, TamilNadu Government headed by Mr.M.Karunanithi issued a GO cancelling the above Airport Expansion plan and proposing to acquire 1069.99 Acres of land in the villages of Manapakkam, Gerugampakkam, Kolapakkam and Tharapakkam. CMDA was then directed to immediately freeze all building activities in these villages. This G.O. also indicated that the Government’s plans to acquire 4820.66 acres of land in Sriperumbudur & Thiruvallur taluks for constructing a new Green Field Airport.
· Because of the notices issued to us under Section 3 (2) of the Tamil Nadu Acquisition of Land for Industrial Purposes Act 1997, we are affected financially and emotionally for the past FOUR years.
· We are paying EMI on the Home loans availed by us , but no HOME to avail so far. Also, we have invested most of our life’s savings on building these houses. The majority of the residents are retired officers from defense and State and Central Government services, who have purchased the property lured by the peaceful and quiet ambience of the locality. This has been our Dream Home project and many of the investors are shattered on not being able complete the houses.
· Since the houses are not completed because of the acquisition notice, most of us are residing in rental houses, paying rent also.
· We understand that the extension of cross runway already done is sufficient to cater to the traffic expected till 2020.
· We request you to please advise the relevant authorities to de-notify our lands at the earliest so that we may proceed with continuing construction of our houses, which we left half way due to the acquisition notice. This will also put an end to the FOUR years of misery and sufferings endured by all of us.
· De-notification of these lands will also save the 947 houses of about 5000 inhabitants of the area, save the Omega International School which is providing education to more than 2000 students, save several industries and brick-kilns, wet cultivable lands, livelihood of 2000 farmers and needless to say several 1000s of crores of rupees, which can otherwise be utilized for other development schemes in the state.
· Further, it is also learnt that the parallel runway project would cause environmental issues to the Adyar River thereby endangering the ecology of the region; besides, it is also believed to pose many security threats to the air passengers, apart from flooding the runway during rainy seasons affecting the safety and normalcy of the air traffic.
· We, therefore, pray to your good offices to advise the relevant officers to de-notify our lands from the acquisition for the parallel runway project. We will be ever grateful for our lifetime to the Hon’ble Chief Minister for this act of kindness.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
State-AAI meeting to discuss Chennai airport expansion
State-AAI meeting to discuss Chennai airport expansion
CHENNAI: Issues relating to expansion and modernisation of Chennai airport, and the delay in completing the first phase of the modernisation project, will be discussed at a high-level meeting here next Thursday. Top officials of the State government and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) headquarters are expected to attend the meeting.
According to AAI sources in New Delhi, with a new government taking over in Tamil Nadu, the issue of airport expansion and modernisation have come to the fore.
The Rs.2,000-crore expansion project, considered important for the State's infrastructure development, has been delayed owing to various reasons. The State government is expected to press the AAI to expedite the project, which includes construction of new domestic and international terminal buildings and expansion of the secondary runway and the international cargo complex.
The AAI will raise with the State government its additional land requirements for the ongoing works and discuss the possibility of acquiring land that has already been identified for constructing a parallel runway near the existing airport, according to the sources.
The meeting will also discuss the proposed second airport at Sriperumbudur, for which the International Civil Aviation Organisation has completed a feasibility study and submitted a report to the AAI. Apart from these issues, the development of airports in Coimbatore and Madurai and according international status for the Coimbatore airport will also be discussed.
Neighbouring Kerala has three international airports – Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode – whereas Tamil Nadu has just only one with the others being Customs-notified airports, the sources point out.
During her previous tenure (2001-06), Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had written to the then Prime Minister informing him that the State government would allocate 1,457 acres free to develop and modernise the Chennai airport to international standards.
http://www.hindu.com/2011/05/22/stories/2011052256190100.htm
CHENNAI: Issues relating to expansion and modernisation of Chennai airport, and the delay in completing the first phase of the modernisation project, will be discussed at a high-level meeting here next Thursday. Top officials of the State government and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) headquarters are expected to attend the meeting.
According to AAI sources in New Delhi, with a new government taking over in Tamil Nadu, the issue of airport expansion and modernisation have come to the fore.
The Rs.2,000-crore expansion project, considered important for the State's infrastructure development, has been delayed owing to various reasons. The State government is expected to press the AAI to expedite the project, which includes construction of new domestic and international terminal buildings and expansion of the secondary runway and the international cargo complex.
The AAI will raise with the State government its additional land requirements for the ongoing works and discuss the possibility of acquiring land that has already been identified for constructing a parallel runway near the existing airport, according to the sources.
The meeting will also discuss the proposed second airport at Sriperumbudur, for which the International Civil Aviation Organisation has completed a feasibility study and submitted a report to the AAI. Apart from these issues, the development of airports in Coimbatore and Madurai and according international status for the Coimbatore airport will also be discussed.
Neighbouring Kerala has three international airports – Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode – whereas Tamil Nadu has just only one with the others being Customs-notified airports, the sources point out.
During her previous tenure (2001-06), Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had written to the then Prime Minister informing him that the State government would allocate 1,457 acres free to develop and modernise the Chennai airport to international standards.
http://www.hindu.com/2011/05/22/stories/2011052256190100.htm
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Airport expansion: Presence of VOR overlooked
Airport expansion: Presence of VOR overlooked
CHENNAI: It seems the Airports Authority of India forgot that the linkway they are constructing at the Chennai Airport to join the main and secondary runway will result in displacement of a very high frequency omni range (VOR) equipment, an essential requirement for any airport from the pilot’s perspective to identify his destination.
Sources at the airport said the officials had apparently ignored the presence of VOR in close proximity to the new linkway 1 and the parallel taxiway to main runway that have been constructed.
“Owing to its proximity to the linkway it has to be demolished as the aircraft wings will bump into it. AAI apparently didn’t foresee this during the expansion stage. It seems to be a planning error. Subsequently they also realised that there is no other convenient location except for near the hangars which couldn’t be demolished. Hence they are now having to make two VORs- one for each runway. It is a lot of work because new procedures have to be put in place and well tested before it is commissioned,” an ATC source said.
A VOR is basically a navigational instrument that gives out radials to the pilot for setting his course to come into his destination airport.
“The VOR will be unsteady if it has any obstruction in its path. A VOR, apart from a homing device, is a primary facility for an instrument approach when a pilot practises automated landing instead of manually controlling or visual flying. In the absence of a VOR, IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) landing cannot be done at all. Moreover, in absence of VOR and instrument landing system equipment, visibility requirements will become very poor leading to more diversions. Night operations are also not possible,” retired ATC official and aviation expert Krishnan said.
Regional executive director for southern region Devraj said that the current VOR was a hindrance to the developmental infrastructure of the airport. “It was coming in the way of the parallel taxiway to main runway and is a hindrance. Hence we decided to relocate it. While one VOR for main runway is almost ready, another one for secondary runway will also be installed,” he said.
Installing a VOR is, however, no easy process as new procedures for pilot’s flight path have to be put in place and tested before the DGCA gives the final approval - something that takes months.
“AAI wants us to start using the secondary runway as soon as possible for day operations but with shorter runway and no navigational aids on this we will face huge penalties and safety hazards. Moreover, after the Mumbai incident of Kingfisher flight going off the runway, DGCA approval is required for use of runway shorter than 7,000ft,” an airport source said.
“It is purely ill-planning on AAI side. All the expansion plans are being made in Delhi without the involvement of the local technical experts,” an ATC source said.
http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chennai/airport-expansion-presence-of-vor-overlooked/249675.html
CHENNAI: It seems the Airports Authority of India forgot that the linkway they are constructing at the Chennai Airport to join the main and secondary runway will result in displacement of a very high frequency omni range (VOR) equipment, an essential requirement for any airport from the pilot’s perspective to identify his destination.
Sources at the airport said the officials had apparently ignored the presence of VOR in close proximity to the new linkway 1 and the parallel taxiway to main runway that have been constructed.
“Owing to its proximity to the linkway it has to be demolished as the aircraft wings will bump into it. AAI apparently didn’t foresee this during the expansion stage. It seems to be a planning error. Subsequently they also realised that there is no other convenient location except for near the hangars which couldn’t be demolished. Hence they are now having to make two VORs- one for each runway. It is a lot of work because new procedures have to be put in place and well tested before it is commissioned,” an ATC source said.
A VOR is basically a navigational instrument that gives out radials to the pilot for setting his course to come into his destination airport.
“The VOR will be unsteady if it has any obstruction in its path. A VOR, apart from a homing device, is a primary facility for an instrument approach when a pilot practises automated landing instead of manually controlling or visual flying. In the absence of a VOR, IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) landing cannot be done at all. Moreover, in absence of VOR and instrument landing system equipment, visibility requirements will become very poor leading to more diversions. Night operations are also not possible,” retired ATC official and aviation expert Krishnan said.
Regional executive director for southern region Devraj said that the current VOR was a hindrance to the developmental infrastructure of the airport. “It was coming in the way of the parallel taxiway to main runway and is a hindrance. Hence we decided to relocate it. While one VOR for main runway is almost ready, another one for secondary runway will also be installed,” he said.
Installing a VOR is, however, no easy process as new procedures for pilot’s flight path have to be put in place and tested before the DGCA gives the final approval - something that takes months.
“AAI wants us to start using the secondary runway as soon as possible for day operations but with shorter runway and no navigational aids on this we will face huge penalties and safety hazards. Moreover, after the Mumbai incident of Kingfisher flight going off the runway, DGCA approval is required for use of runway shorter than 7,000ft,” an airport source said.
“It is purely ill-planning on AAI side. All the expansion plans are being made in Delhi without the involvement of the local technical experts,” an ATC source said.
http://expressbuzz.com/cities/chennai/airport-expansion-presence-of-vor-overlooked/249675.html
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Second city airport in TN hands
The civil aviation ministry and state-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Thursday held a meeting to discuss the possible construction of a second airport for Chennai at Sriperumbudur.
Ministry sources said it was expected that the present airport could get saturated in a decade and parallel runways are not possible in this airport.
“The AAI will submit all the studies it had done and it’s up to the state government to decide whether it wants a second airport or not,” a ministry source said, adding that since the ‘site clearance’ of the possible venue at Sriperumbudur was yet to be done, the move for a second airport for Chennai “is at very preliminary stage”. The AAI is carrying out modernisation of the existing airport.
AAI regional executive director (South) Mr D Devaraj said a technical study had been undertaken by International Civil Avia-tion Organisation for dual operations (Chennai and Sripeumbudur). “It is under consideration.”
An industry source in Chennai said acquisition of land for the greenfield airport at Sriperumbudur wou-ld be history in Tamil Nadu, as it is expected to attract large amount of litigation. But then, he pointed out that since Sriperumbudur is an industrial hub, it has huge cargo potential apart from regular passenger movement.
“A greenfield airport is a necessity for Chennai as there is acute congestion. We need to push our plans as quickly as possible,” he said, arguing that the neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka ha-ve benefited from building new airports at their states.
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/chennai/second-city-airport-tn-hands-379
Ministry sources said it was expected that the present airport could get saturated in a decade and parallel runways are not possible in this airport.
“The AAI will submit all the studies it had done and it’s up to the state government to decide whether it wants a second airport or not,” a ministry source said, adding that since the ‘site clearance’ of the possible venue at Sriperumbudur was yet to be done, the move for a second airport for Chennai “is at very preliminary stage”. The AAI is carrying out modernisation of the existing airport.
AAI regional executive director (South) Mr D Devaraj said a technical study had been undertaken by International Civil Avia-tion Organisation for dual operations (Chennai and Sripeumbudur). “It is under consideration.”
An industry source in Chennai said acquisition of land for the greenfield airport at Sriperumbudur wou-ld be history in Tamil Nadu, as it is expected to attract large amount of litigation. But then, he pointed out that since Sriperumbudur is an industrial hub, it has huge cargo potential apart from regular passenger movement.
“A greenfield airport is a necessity for Chennai as there is acute congestion. We need to push our plans as quickly as possible,” he said, arguing that the neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka ha-ve benefited from building new airports at their states.
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/chennai/second-city-airport-tn-hands-379
Manapakkam residents look to new govt to get back land
CHENNAI: Residents of Manapakkam and surrounding areas are pinning their hopes on new chief minister J Jayalalithaa to go ahead with the second airport at Sriperumbudur.
The residents will get back their 900 acres of land marked and frozen for acquisition for three years at Manapakkam, Gerugambakkam, Kovur and Kolapakkam to build a parallel runway for the existing airport if the state government decides to go ahead with the new airport. The parallel runway work may not be taken up if the second airport materialises.
Nearly 1,000 families who have bought land and houses through bank loans are repaying the loan even though they have no clue whether they will come to own the property in the future.
"We are planning to meet officials of the new government after they settle down. AAI will also submit the ICAO report to the government by that time, said Vijay Kumar, vice president of Marvel River View County Owners Welfare Association at Manapakam.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) had put the plans to build a parallel runway on hold and announced that they would not prefer to have a new runway at the existing airport if the state government went ahead with the proposed airport at Sriperumbudur.
The government has been dragging its feet on the new airport eventhough a feasibility study by AAI showed that the 4,822 acres of land at Sriperumbudur was suitable for the project.
International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has also made a study and given positive feedback about building a new airport. The ICAO study report will be submitted to the new government, said a senior AAI official.
AAI also has been sitting on the parallel runway plan. In response to a right to information (RTI) application filed by J Parthipan, a resident, AAI said it was yet to carry out an economic feasibility study for the parallel runway. The response also says that AAI was reviewing the justification for the parallel runway based on the passenger growth projection.
"We are not able to sell our houses or land. Land prices have dipped. Many of the houses that were being constructed by builders are incomplete because the government froze the land for acquisition. The land should be denotified," said Vijaya Kumar.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Manapakkam-residents-look-to-new-govt-to-get-back-land/articleshow/8376910.cms
The residents will get back their 900 acres of land marked and frozen for acquisition for three years at Manapakkam, Gerugambakkam, Kovur and Kolapakkam to build a parallel runway for the existing airport if the state government decides to go ahead with the new airport. The parallel runway work may not be taken up if the second airport materialises.
Nearly 1,000 families who have bought land and houses through bank loans are repaying the loan even though they have no clue whether they will come to own the property in the future.
"We are planning to meet officials of the new government after they settle down. AAI will also submit the ICAO report to the government by that time, said Vijay Kumar, vice president of Marvel River View County Owners Welfare Association at Manapakam.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) had put the plans to build a parallel runway on hold and announced that they would not prefer to have a new runway at the existing airport if the state government went ahead with the proposed airport at Sriperumbudur.
The government has been dragging its feet on the new airport eventhough a feasibility study by AAI showed that the 4,822 acres of land at Sriperumbudur was suitable for the project.
International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has also made a study and given positive feedback about building a new airport. The ICAO study report will be submitted to the new government, said a senior AAI official.
AAI also has been sitting on the parallel runway plan. In response to a right to information (RTI) application filed by J Parthipan, a resident, AAI said it was yet to carry out an economic feasibility study for the parallel runway. The response also says that AAI was reviewing the justification for the parallel runway based on the passenger growth projection.
"We are not able to sell our houses or land. Land prices have dipped. Many of the houses that were being constructed by builders are incomplete because the government froze the land for acquisition. The land should be denotified," said Vijaya Kumar.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Manapakkam-residents-look-to-new-govt-to-get-back-land/articleshow/8376910.cms
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