MADURAI: The Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry has urged Chief Minister M.K.Stalin to take quick steps for setting up underpass for Madurai airport runway expansion without any further delay.
In a press statement issued from Madurai on April 1st 2023, chamber president Dr.N.Jegatheesan has said that underpass project for the airport here is highly essential and it should be implemented like being done for other airports in the country.
“Madurai Ring Road will be cut off if Madurai airport runway expansion works are started. Vehicles travelling from Madurai via NH 45B to Chennai and southern districts and to Kerala via NH 7 will face great difficulty. For detours, vehicles have to ply for extra eight kilometers which result in felt cost, fuel wastage and time wastage. So, in a review meeting chaired by district collector, the vehicle movement plan was discussed and how to expand the Madurai airport runway without affecting the Ring Road. So, it was agreed to build the runway above and move the vehicles below. The Underpass project proposed for Madurai airport was also accepted by Airport Authority of India also,” Dr.Jegatheesan had pointed out in the press release.
Rs.800 CRORES ESTIMATED:
For implementing the underpass project for about two kilometres for Madurai airport runway expansion, the cost estimated was Rs.800 crores.
“Now we have learnt that the State Highway Department officials are insisting that the airport runway expansion be executed by constructing an alternate route of eight kilometres on the Ring Road instead of underpass project. As the State government has not yet acquired the land required for alternative route, the airport expansion will be delayed further and the airport runway expansion will get more delayed,” the chamber president feared.
Underpass project was done in Uttar Pradesh for Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport in Varanasi with upper runway and lower NH 56 Varanasi-Lucknow four-lane. Similarly, the Mysore airport has an upper runway and lower NH 212 Madurai-Nilgiri road while this type of project was implemented for the third terminal of New Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport, the press release from TN Chamber of Commerce has said and made an appeal to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister for starting the underpass project for Madurai airport runway expansion as was decided earlier.
