Urban News

Courtesy : The Hindu Date : 02.06.2009

Tiruchi airport’s Rs. 80-crore integrated terminal operational

Staff Reporter

— PHOTO: R. M. RAJARATHINAM

Majestic: The facade of the new terminal at Tiruchi Airport. —File photo: R. Ashok; (Right) D. Devaraj, Regional Executive Director, (S.R.) Airport Authority of India.

TIRUCHI: The new Integrated Terminal Building at the Tiruchi Airport constructed at a cost of Rs. 80 crore was commissioned on Monday.

A domestic flight was operated on Sunday for trial. Henceforth, all flights will be operated from the new terminal. On an average, six to seven international flights and five domestic flights are operated daily from the airport.

With a total floor space of 11,800 square metres in the two-storey building, the terminal has a capacity to handle 400 passengers at a time. Described by officials of Airports Authority of India as of ‘international standard,’ the terminal features two aerobridges, and a provision has been made for a third aerobridge.

Additional personnel of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) have been requisitioned and necessary equipment installed over the past three months since the terminal was inaugurated to avoid further delay in commissioning it, the Regional Executive Director, Southern Region, Airports Authority of India, D. Devaraj, said, adding that the expansion of the airport was undertaken owing to increasing patronage.

To a query, Mr. Devaraj said that a decision on user charges to be collected from the airlines for Common User Terminal Equipment (CUTE) was yet to be arrived at. The possibility for utilising the existing terminal building for cargo operations would be explored, he said.

The expansion project of the Chennai Airport is expected to be completed by the end of 2010, the Regional Executive Director, Southern Region, Airports Authority of India (AAI), D. Devaraj, said on Monday. The modernisation work includes extension of the secondary runway across the Adyar river.

The outlay for the AAI Southern Region for 2009-10 has been fixed at Rs. 3,000 crore. Over the last five years modernisation works to the tune of Rs. 125 crore each have been undertaken in Tiruchi and Madurai Airports. Works amounting to Rs. 90 crore and Rs. 70 crore were in progress at Mangalore and Coimbatore airports, he said.

Responding to a question, Mr. Devaraj said that as of now, the AAI has received no proposal from any airline for making use of the Salem airport.

The airport has recorded 4.6 lakh passenger arrivals and departures during 2008-09, registering 18 per cent growth. Tiruchi airport stands first in the country in terms of rate of growth over the past five years, Airport Director S. Sreekumar said.

According to Collector T. Soundiah, 430 acres will be acquired and handed over to the AAI within six months for the airport expansion.

The AAI intends to expand the runway to 12,500 feet from the present 8,000 feet.

Courtesy : The Hindu Date : 02.06.2009

Salem Corporation begins desilting Vellakuttai Odai

Staff Reporter

Photo: P. Goutham

Timely action: Salem Corporation workers removing silt from the Vellakuttai Odai in Salem on Monday. —

SALEM: Salem Corporation has begun removing silt from the bed of Vellakuttai Odai here on Monday.

This comes in the wake of complaints from people that the flow of waste water in the channel remains affected and sewage overflows during rain.

A number of colonies located near the channel were flooded during the recent rain.

The channel, a surplus course of the Vellakuttai Eri and a major sewer that passes through several residential colonies before joining the Tirumanimutharu River accumulated silt due to the unmindful dumping of solid waste by commercial establishments.

Eateries and shopkeepers continue to dispose of garbage in the channel despite warnings from the Corporation.

Civic officials have also failed to take concrete measures to prevent commercial establishments from dumping solid waste.

With the city witnessing heavy rain for the past few days, sewage mixed with rainwater is flowing to the rim of the channel.

Civic officials deployed earth movers and a team of workers to remove the silt and ensure smooth flow of waste water in the channel.

Officials said that a portion of the channel had already been taken up for improvement as a part of the second phase of the Tirumanimutharu River Project.

The entire course of the channel would be improved in a phased manner.

This is expected to help ensure smooth flow of waste water.