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Badal seeks PM’s help for Central nod to aerotropolis
26 Dec 2008, 0115 hrs
NEW DELHI: Punjab chief minister Prakash Singh Badal has sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s help to secure the Centre’s approval for setting
up an aerotropolis, or an airport city, near Ludhiana. The project is estimated to cost about Rs 25,000 crore. An aerotropolis is a city developed around an airport— like Changi airport in Singapore and Beijing capital international airport in China — focused on aviation-related businesses.
“Bengal Aerotropolis Project (BAPL), who is the promoter of this project, had made a presentation to me, subsequent to which a memorandum of understanding has been signed with Punjab State Industrial Development Corp (PSIDC) on May 23 for the development of this aerotropolis,” Mr Badal told the prime minister in a letter.
BAPL has already submitted its proposal to the civil aviation ministry for approval. “Through this letter, I place before you the request of Punjab state for an expeditious clearance of this project,” the letter says. According to the Centre’s new greenfield airport policy, the ministry of civil aviation is the nodal agency for giving clearances for construction of any aerotropolis project.
“As the proposed site for the airport city is in close proximity to the armed force base, the proposal is currently under consideration of the defence ministry,” a civil aviation ministry official, who did not wish to be named, said.
A state government official said that the promoter would be required to invest over Rs 2,000 crore in developing the airport. But the total investment in developing other infrastructure and the business cluster around the airport city would be around Rs 25,000 crore. He said BAPL had already signed an MoU with Changi Airport Consultants of Singapore for the project. A spokesperson of BAPL declined to comment. BAPL is already constructing a Rs 10,000 crore aerotropolis in Durgapur (West Bengal).
Ludhiana is the textile hub of North India. Garment exports from the city touched Rs 82 billion in 2006-07. The Punjab government has argued that the region, in which the aerotropolis is proposed, has immense potential to become an export hub. Readymade and hosiery items from this region is exported to the US, the EU, Middle East and Russia.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com..._nod_to__aerotropolis/articleshow/3892721.cms
26 Dec 2008, 0115 hrs
NEW DELHI: Punjab chief minister Prakash Singh Badal has sought Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s help to secure the Centre’s approval for setting
up an aerotropolis, or an airport city, near Ludhiana. The project is estimated to cost about Rs 25,000 crore. An aerotropolis is a city developed around an airport— like Changi airport in Singapore and Beijing capital international airport in China — focused on aviation-related businesses.
“Bengal Aerotropolis Project (BAPL), who is the promoter of this project, had made a presentation to me, subsequent to which a memorandum of understanding has been signed with Punjab State Industrial Development Corp (PSIDC) on May 23 for the development of this aerotropolis,” Mr Badal told the prime minister in a letter.
BAPL has already submitted its proposal to the civil aviation ministry for approval. “Through this letter, I place before you the request of Punjab state for an expeditious clearance of this project,” the letter says. According to the Centre’s new greenfield airport policy, the ministry of civil aviation is the nodal agency for giving clearances for construction of any aerotropolis project.
“As the proposed site for the airport city is in close proximity to the armed force base, the proposal is currently under consideration of the defence ministry,” a civil aviation ministry official, who did not wish to be named, said.
A state government official said that the promoter would be required to invest over Rs 2,000 crore in developing the airport. But the total investment in developing other infrastructure and the business cluster around the airport city would be around Rs 25,000 crore. He said BAPL had already signed an MoU with Changi Airport Consultants of Singapore for the project. A spokesperson of BAPL declined to comment. BAPL is already constructing a Rs 10,000 crore aerotropolis in Durgapur (West Bengal).
Ludhiana is the textile hub of North India. Garment exports from the city touched Rs 82 billion in 2006-07. The Punjab government has argued that the region, in which the aerotropolis is proposed, has immense potential to become an export hub. Readymade and hosiery items from this region is exported to the US, the EU, Middle East and Russia.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com..._nod_to__aerotropolis/articleshow/3892721.cms
