Bangalore, Nov 4: The Karnataka government is expected to select its joint venture partner for its much delayed international airport project here early next year. The Rs. 12 billion project at Devanahalli, envisaged five years ago and mired in controversy, made some headway after the new Congress government of Chief Minister S.M. Krishna took office in mid-October."A traffic study has already begun as per the request of the seven parties shortlisted out of the 17 consortia for the construction of the airport. We are waiting for it as well as the Union government's response to a few points raised by us," RV Deshpande, Karnataka's Industries Minister, told India Abroad News Service.
The decision to go in for a traffic study was taken by the steering committee of state and federal government officials as the private parties were keen on getting international flights to Bangalore. The committee also decided that the airport of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), a defence establishment, would not operate flights once the international airport comes up at Devanahalli.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.