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UPA's gift to DMK: A modern Chennai airport
Published on Tue, Jul 29, 2008 at 22:07, Updated on Wed, Jul 30, 2008 at 08:30 in 
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MODERN FACILITIES: The modernised Chennai airport will have two additional terminals.
New Delhi: The Rs 2,700 crore modernisation project of the Chennai airport has got a nod from the Centre, courtesy the country's new political equations.
Upgradation plans for both Chennai and Kolkata airports started at the same time. While Chennai was held up by land acquisition problems, Kolkata sailed through - that is, until the Left walked out of the UPA.
Sources in the Civil Aviation Ministry say Kolkata airport got the nod first, but the Left-ruled state will have to wait because the DMK wants the Government to delay the announcement.
The party does not want Chennai to be left behind - a demand the UPA is only happy to oblige with.
The Chennai airport will have two additional terminals, giving it the capacity to handle over 70 lakh international passengers. The domestic terminal will be able to pass through 1 crore passengers annually.
Its secondary runway will be extended to handle larger aircraft and 10 new aircraft parking bays will be added to the existing 60.
The airport will be connected by an underground metro line and an elevated highway. The state government has acquired 130 acres of land for the project, as well as an additional 21 acres of defence land.
The final clearance is now expected from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs.
(With inputs from Meenakshi Mahadevan in Chennai)
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"Upgradation plans for both Chennai and Kolkata airports started at the same time. While Chennai was held up by land
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Would you please remove the term "Gift", let Chennai Airport get what it deserves, it does not need to be
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