Mangalore: New Airport Terminal inaugurated

May 15, 2010

Mangalore, May 15: A long-pending dream of the people of coastal region was finally realised, when the New Integrated Terminal Building of Mangalore Airport was inaugurated by Praful Patel, the Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation in a historical event on Saturday, May 15.

Speaking on the occasion, Praful Patel assured Mangaloreans that the NITB will be declared a full-fledged international airport within a year and the cargo movement will also begin from here soon.

Reasoning the technical problems for the delay in declaring the Mangalore Airport as a full-fledged international one, he said that to gain that status, there must be a runway of 9,000 feet plus. “Currently Mangalore Airport has a run way of 8,000 feet. It is necessary to extend to 9,000 feet before formally declaring it as International Airport,” he said.

Responding to the public demand of launching direct flight to Saudi Arabia from Mangalore, he said that the dream will be realised immediately after extending the run way, which can take at least a year's time.

Praful Patel also predicted that the Mangalore Airport will become one of the biggest and prominent Airports of the country.

M Veerappa Moily, Union Minster for Law, said that with the commissioning of NITB, Mangalore Airport is qualified to be formally declared as a full-fledged international airport. He said that being a fastest growing tier-2 city, Mangalore has all the potential to become a global financial capital.

Moily also called upon the Karnataka State Government to provide appropriate compensation to all those people, who had been evicted from the area in the process of building NITB.

B S Yeddyurappa, Chief Minister of Karnataka, said that he is ready to provide any type of cooperation to Mangalore and its NITB. He said his government is constructing a new sophisticated road between the city and NITB.

The Chief Minister added that the inauguration of NITB in Mangalore and the airport in Mysore is very timely with only few days left for Global Investors Meet in Bangalore, in which investors from all over the world are expected to participate

G Janardan Reddy, State Tourism Minister, said that Karnataka holds the No.1 position in providing basic infrastructures to people. “The state Government is committed to construct more airports in Karnataka”, he said adding that land acquisition is already in process in 13 different parts of the state for the purpose of building new airports. He also said that the Government has cleared the way for constructing a four-lane road to the airport.

RV Deshpande, president of KPCC said that there is a need to launch direct flight from Mangalore to Saudi Arabia. Oscar Fernades, senior Congress leader, also requested the Civil Aviation Minister to consider the public demand of launching direct flight from Mangalore to Saudi Arabia seriously.

The newly inaugurated NITB has an area of approximately 18,220 square metres suitable to handle 500 domestic and 200 international passengers at peak hours. The building is made of glass and chrome. The structure is equipped with all modern passenger amenities such as Central Air Conditioning system, In-line X-Ray Baggage System integrated with departure conveyor system, inclined arrival baggage claim, carousals escalator, new glass lift, Public Address System, Flight Information Display System, Fire fighting System, and parking for about 500 cars.

Krishna J Palemar, District In-charge Minster, Nalin Kumar Kateel, MP, Abhaychandra Jain, MLA, Rajani Dugganna, Mayor, and many other dignitaries were present.

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Voting underway in Karnataka bypolls: Family legacies and political heavyweights battle across 3 segments

News Network

November 13,2024

Bengaluru: An estimated overall 10.14 per cent voter turnout was recorded during the first two hours, since the voting began for bypolls to three Assembly segments in Karnataka on Wednesday, election officials said.

The voting began at 7 am and will go on till 6 pm.

More than seven lakh voters are eligible to cast their votes in about 770 polling stations in Shiggaon, Sandur and Channapatna, where a total of 45 candidates are in the fray.

While Channapatna recorded 10.34 per cent voter turnout till 9 am, it was 10.08 per cent in Shiggaon, and 9.99 per cent in Sandur, election officials said.

Voters, including women and elderly were seen queuing up in front of polling booths in these segments.

By-polls for Sandur, Shiggaon, and Channapatna are necessitated, as the seats fell vacant following the election of their respective representatives -- E Tukaram of Congress, former CM Basavaraj Bommai of BJP, and Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy of JD(S) -- to Lok Sabha in May elections.

As many as 31 candidates are in the fray from Channapatna, while Sandur and Shiggaon have six and eight contenders, respectively.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made in the three segments for the smooth conduct of the polls.

The by-polls will witness a straight fight between the ruling Congress and BJP in Sandur and Shiggaon segments, while in Channapatna, JD(S) which is part of the NDA alliance is in contest against the grand old party.

Among the three segments, Channapatna is considered to be a "high profile", where the contest is between C P Yogeeshwara, a five time MLA from the segment and former Minister, who joined the Congress quitting BJP ahead of nomination, and actor-turned -politician Nikhil Kumaraswamy, who is Kumaraswamy’s son and former PM H D Deve Gowda's grandson.

BJP's Bharath Bommai, son of Basavaraj Bommai, is fighting Congress Yasir Ahmed Khan Pathan, who had faced defeat against the former Chief Minister in the 2023 Assembly polls, in Shiggaon.

Bharath Bommai and his father cast their vote at a polling booth in Shiggaon segment.

In Sandur, Bellary MP Tukaram's wife E Annapurna of Congress is contesting from the seat vacated by her husband, against, BJP ST Morcha president Bangaru Hanumanthu, who is considered close to party leader and former mining barron G Janardhan Reddy.

Annapurna, Tukaram and other family members cast their votes at a booth in the segment.

With Nikhil Kumaraswamy and Bharath Bommai contesting, the third generation of Gowda and Bommai families are in the fray in this by-poll. Both their fathers and grandfathers have served as Karnataka's Chief Ministers in the past.

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