Karnataka govt plans nine water aerodromes!

Karnataka is planning to develop nine water aerodromes to establish connectivity and promote tourism in these places. The government believes it will only need to spend a smaller cost to develop the infrastructure.

The government has identified Kali River, Byndur, Malpe, Mangaluru, Tungabhadra, KRS, Linganamakki, Almatti and Hidkal reservoirs as potential areas, Infrastructure Development Minister V Somanna said.

The Minister shared some plans on beefing up regional connectivity at a workshop the state government and the civil aviation ministry organised in Bengaluru to gather inputs for Karnataka’s proposed civil aviation policy.

The government is looking at aviation-led growth for Karnataka, the minister said and added that a robust policy would aid the state’s economy and support some sectors including industries, horticulture, and educational and technological development.

The work on the airports at Shivamogga, Vijayapura, and Hassan was moving on swiftly and they would become operational soon. The government was also acquiring about 240 acres of land near the Mysuru airport for both runway extension and airport upgradation, Somanna said.

The government was also checking the feasibility and working on a detailed project report for setting up heliports at Madikeri, Chikmagalur, and Hampi, he added.

The airlines flying to airports at Mysuru, Hubballi, Vidyanagar (Toranagallu), Belagavi, Kalaburgi and Bidar were getting a 20% of viability gap funding by the state government under the Centre’s UDAN scheme which promotes regional connectivity, the Minister said.