NEW DELHI: The Central government on Wednesday gave approval to swapping of 10.25 acres of land owned by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) at Rajahmundry airport with equivalent land owned by the Andhra Pradesh government.
The decision was taken by the union cabinet and it assumes significance as it will allow the state government to use the land to provide road connectivity to nearby villages.
The civil aviation ministry issued a statement saying, “The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval to the swapping of 10.25 acres of land belonging to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) at Rajahmundry Airport with an equivalent extent of land belonging to Government of Andhra Pradesh.”
The ministry also said that the proposal will provide road connectivity which will, in turn, provide better access to the area to the general public.
It would especially facilitate farmers in accessing their agricultural land, the ministry added.
The airport at Madhurapudi village is situated on 366.46 acres of land and the state government has allotted additional land to the extent of 857.09 acres to the AAI free of cost. Earlier this year, the AAI was given an environment clearance for extension of the runway at the Rajahmundry airport, estimated to cost Rs 181.45 crore.
The runway extension will allow the airport to meet the growing traffic demand and to facilitate bigger aircrafts.
The cabinet on Wednesday took another important decision pertaining to AAI’s land as it gave its nod for the permanent transfer of a piece of AAI’S land to Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC).
The 1,899 square metre land at the Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow would be used by LMRC for the construction of entry/exit point for Transport Nagar Metro Station.
“This is an operational requirement of LMRC. This is a public utility project of mass transportation to be used by the public at large, and will provide better connectivity and convenience to the general public,” the civil aviation ministry said.