HYDERABAD: Union Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu on Thursday said the Mamnoor Airport at Warangal will be developed within two to two-and-a-half years. He said the Airports Authority of India (AAI) will execute the project at an estimated cost of Rs 850 crore.
Earlier in the day, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, along with ministers Konda Surekha and Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, handed over documents related to the land acquired for the airport to the Union Minister at Begumpet Airport.
Addressing the gathering, Ram Mohan Naidu said AAI already holds 969 acres of land at Mamnoor and that the Centre had asked the state government to acquire an additional 200 acres. He added that the state government has since acquired the required land and handed it over to AAI.
Vikramarka said the state government had handed over 300 acres of land required for the Mamnoor Airport in Warangal district. He urged Naidu to expedite construction of the proposed airports at Adilabad and Kothagudem.
Stating it is commendable that a person born on Telugu soil was serving as the Union Civil Aviation Minister, Vikramarka urged him to extend full cooperation by recognising the needs of Telangana.
He pointed out that although an agreement was entered into with the Airports Authority of India in 2007 for the construction of Mamnoor Airport, the project was delayed due to neglect by those who ruled for the past 10 years. He said that after Ram Mohan Naidu assumed charge as Union Civil Aviation Minister, the entire Telangana Cabinet requested him to sanction airports in tier-2 cities such as Kothagudem and Adilabad.
Recalling the history of Mamnoor Airport, the deputy chief minister said it was originally developed during the Nizam era in 1930 and was one of the largest airports in southern India at that time.