02-19-2008, 12:01 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Udaipur gets new airport terminal</b>
On Sunday, 'city of lakes' Udaipur got a brand new airport terminal without any neta cutting the ribbon or flagging in the first flight.
The unveiling of the terminal, among the first of the 35 non-metros airports being modernised by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to be completed, without the mandatory VIP may have helped reduce waiting time for users to start flying in and out of the brand new Rs 80 crore terminal.
This will include the high and mighty who converge in Udaipur to attend aviation minister Praful Patel's daughter's wedding there over the weekend.
Operations shifted from the old to the new terminal on Sunday - which incidentally also happened to be Patel's 51st birthday. When contacted, AAI chairman K Ramalingam said: "We have started trial operations to check systems of the new terminal since Sunday and the place has been put in use."
The modernisation of Udaipur airport has been long overdue, especially because of the growing tourist traffic to Rajasthan. The runway at Udaipur is going to be extended to 9,000 feet in coming months and then this major tourist destination could be able to handle very large aircraft. At present, foreign charters land in the city using medium-sized aircraft like the A320s.
Incidentally, the AAI had recently prepared a list of projects for inauguration this year. "Patel's tenure has seen the maximum growth in aviation sector alongwith the focus on modernising infrastructure. So, it is only right he gets the credit for all the work done in terms of getting new and modern facilities initiated by him that is now ready or nearing completion," a minister's aide had said when the list was prepared some months back.
The new Udaipur terminal is a very prestigious project for the AAI. It is first of its ongoing 35 non-metro airports modernisation projects that is complete and ready for use before private players open new airports in Hyderabad and Bangalore in March. Trichy, Nagpur and Srinagar would be getting new terminals in a month or two.
Real reason apart, the general public may find the no-nonsense start a welcome change from the tradition of making people wait for some VVIP to inaugurate a completely ready project before they can start using it. A case in point is the recent controversy over the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
On Sunday, 'city of lakes' Udaipur got a brand new airport terminal without any neta cutting the ribbon or flagging in the first flight.
The unveiling of the terminal, among the first of the 35 non-metros airports being modernised by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to be completed, without the mandatory VIP may have helped reduce waiting time for users to start flying in and out of the brand new Rs 80 crore terminal.
This will include the high and mighty who converge in Udaipur to attend aviation minister Praful Patel's daughter's wedding there over the weekend.
Operations shifted from the old to the new terminal on Sunday - which incidentally also happened to be Patel's 51st birthday. When contacted, AAI chairman K Ramalingam said: "We have started trial operations to check systems of the new terminal since Sunday and the place has been put in use."
The modernisation of Udaipur airport has been long overdue, especially because of the growing tourist traffic to Rajasthan. The runway at Udaipur is going to be extended to 9,000 feet in coming months and then this major tourist destination could be able to handle very large aircraft. At present, foreign charters land in the city using medium-sized aircraft like the A320s.
Incidentally, the AAI had recently prepared a list of projects for inauguration this year. "Patel's tenure has seen the maximum growth in aviation sector alongwith the focus on modernising infrastructure. So, it is only right he gets the credit for all the work done in terms of getting new and modern facilities initiated by him that is now ready or nearing completion," a minister's aide had said when the list was prepared some months back.
The new Udaipur terminal is a very prestigious project for the AAI. It is first of its ongoing 35 non-metro airports modernisation projects that is complete and ready for use before private players open new airports in Hyderabad and Bangalore in March. Trichy, Nagpur and Srinagar would be getting new terminals in a month or two.
Real reason apart, the general public may find the no-nonsense start a welcome change from the tradition of making people wait for some VVIP to inaugurate a completely ready project before they can start using it. A case in point is the recent controversy over the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->