MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government issued a government resolution on Saturday earmarking over Rs 1,200 crore for completing the pending work and development of another airport terminal at Shirdi.
The GR said the government has sanctioned Rs 364 crore for an earlier work and Rs 876 crore for the development of another terminal and expansion of the Shirdi airport. The state chief secretary had tabled this proposal which was subsequently approved by the chief minister and the cabinet.
The Shirdi airport is connected to all major cities such as Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Tirupati. It handles over 64,000 passengers every month and most of these passengers are devotees of Sai Baba. The airport also handles the cargo and agricultural products.
In the development work, the sanctioned amount will be spent mainly on the beautification of areas adjoining the airport, construction of an entrance gate, reconstruction of the runway, sewerage at the airport, and acquisition of land for the construction of houses for security personnel posted at the cargo complex, besides a training centre.
The state government has decided to utilize the full capacity of the Shirdi airport by increasing its passenger handling capacity. “Currently, the airport can handle only 300 passengers per hour. After developing another swanky terminal, it will be able to handle over 1,200 passengers per hour. As the rush of the devotee is rising, we need to have an additional passenger terminal. Besides, we are also planning to start more beverage and food stalls,” said a government official.
The new terminal will be spread over 55,000 sqm. It will have all state-of-the-art facilities. The ground level will have a check-in hall, passenger screening and a remotely secured hold area and baggage handling system.