Minister rules out greenfield airport in Kolkata

Kolkata: Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel today virtually ruled out a greenfield airport for Kolkata, saying there was no need for it once the existing N S C Bose International Airport was modernised.
"After modernisation of the NSC Bose International Airport, the greenfield proposal will not be viable. If land is made available, this airport will be good for the next 35 years," Patel told newspersons here.
Patel said his ministry was in the process of updating 35 non-metro airports across the country at a cost of Rs 10,000 crores and the work was expected to be complete by 2009.
"Later, airports in the third-tier areas like district towns will be developed. Just like a grid in the electricity distribution system we want to develop an aviation grid -- the metros, the non-metro cities and the third tier ones," the minister said.
29/07/06 PTI/The Hindu

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