The Hassan airport being constructed at Boovanahalli on the outskirts of Hassan city is caught in the political crossfire. Former Minister H.D. Revanna and Hassan MLA Preetham Gowda are engaged in making allegations against each other over modifications to the original plan of the project.
The construction work has begun up in 536 acres of land, though the total land notified for the project is 960 acres. Of the remaining 434 acres, an extent of 214 is government land. The district administration has not acquired the 220 acres from the original owners, citing difficulties to convince the farmers.
DC’s Letter
IAS officer R. Girish, who was Deputy Commissioner of Hassan till recently, wrote to the Additional Chief Secretary of the Infrastructure Development Department on June 16, 2021, requesting to start the project within the available 536 acres of land. He stated that acquiring the remaining 220 acres of land could be delayed due to opposition from the landowners.
Mr. Revanna is angry with the IAS officer for this letter. The MLA alleged that the officer joined hands with the local elected representative to benefit the realtors. “Modifications have been made to benefit the vested interests. I am told some people are already in talks with land owners to develop layouts in the land,” he alleged.
The JD(S) leader wants the State government to take up the project as per the initial plan, making use of the entire 960 acres of land. He would meet the Chief Minister and put forward his demand, he said.
‘In the interest of city’
On the other hand, Mr. Gowda is of the opinion that the modifications had been made in the interest of the city. In the initial plan, a golf club was included. “Who requires a golf club in Hassan? Why should we acquire farmers’ land for a golf course? If Mr. Revanna is keen on having a golf club, let him build one on his private land,” he retorted. The MLA said that the land notified would be returned to the original owners.
An airport for Hassan has been a long-pending proposal. It was approved in 2007, when H.D. Kumaraswamy was the Chief Minister, heading the JD(S)-BJP coalition. Former PM H.D. Deve Gowda had laid the foundation stone for the project, proposed under the Build Own Operate and Transfer (BOOT) model. Jupiter Aviation Services Ltd. had bagged the work.
Original plan
The original plan included the construction of a hotel, golf club, and aviation training school, besides the runway and terminals. It required 1,19.15 acres. Subsequently, it was reduced to 960 acres and the Hassan district administration acquired 536 acres for the project. However, the builder did not begin the construction stating that it would not start the work on the ground until it got 960 acres. It did not take off.
When the JD(S)-Congress alliance came to power in 2018, the government cancelled the understanding with the private player. As the coalition government did not last long, the project did not proceed further. Following protests by JD(S) leaders for early implementation of the project, B.S. Yediyurappa, as Chief Minister, allocated ₹196 crore in his Budget for the year 2021.
As per the plan, the work in the first package should end by April 2023. The runway has been planned to accommodate ATR-72 flights. Provision has been made to extend the run-way to land Airbus 320. The process has begun to acquire 24 acres for the purpose.
