Maharashtra to convert 7 airstrips into airports

To be coverted with private participation in next 3-5 years.

In order to make the state's infrastructure more attractive to investors, the Maharashtra government has decided to convert seven airstrips in different non-metro cities into full-fledged airports.

These include the airstrips at Baramati (in Pune district), Yavatmal, Nanded, Latur, Osmanabad, Kolhapur and Amaravati. The airstrips, presently underutilised, will be converted into national level airports with private participation within next 3-5 years.

The present air-strips in these cities are developed and owned by Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC). However, these are used only when politicians visit or by businessmen who use chartered aircraft. The only probable excepetion is Kolhapur, from where Air Deccan operates a daily flight to Mumbai. Indian Airlines had also started a Mumbai-Kolhapur flight three years ago, which was later withdrawn due to low occupancy.

Of the seven air-strips, only Kolhapur has a proper airport in place while other air-strips are sans infrastructure.

The Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) has initiated the bidding process for development of these airports with private participation. "We want to provide the best facilities at these small airports. Development of these airports would create job opportunities and also lead to economic development in and around these towns," a top MIDC official told Business Standard.

The airports would be developed on similar lines as that of the on-going international airport projects at Bangalore and Hyderabad. "These smaller cities are attracting major industrial players. If business has to grow in these cities, infrastructure has to be improved. Companies in textiles, banking and information technology are coming up fast here. All this will increase the number people wanting to visit these cities by air. Hence, the present airstrips, which can provide for only landings and take-offs, need to be developed," the official, who is part of the bidding process, stated.

When asked about the estimated investment for this purpose, the officer denied to reveal the figure but said, it would be in crores. "The developer would be responsible to upgrade the facilities and make the project financially viable," the official stated. He pointed out that MIDC wants these airports to be fully functional within a span of three to five years.