Puducherry airport expansion: AAI completes Obstacle Limitation Surface survey
As a preliminary step towards expansion of the Puducherry airport, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has completed the Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS) survey to identify potential obstacles along the airspace of Puducherry airport before starting construction of a new runway.
After aborting the plan to extend the existing runway, the AAI in consultation with the territorial administration had agreed on a new orientation for the runway that would entail discarding the existing runway of 1,502 metres and constructing a new flight strip of 2,300 metres for operation of Airbus 320 type aircraft from Puducherry.
A three-member team from the Central headquarters of the AAI in New Delhi was in Puducherry for a week from May 6 to conduct the OLS survey using hi-tech equipment including DGPS (Differential Global Positioning System), a specialised piece of gadget involved in satellite-assisted mapping of land.
'The team was in Puducherry from May 6 to 13 and they were involved in detailed mapping of the airspace. The preliminary assessment is that the approach ways and sideways of the proposed runway are free of obstacles, which includes mobile towers, high tension electric lines and high rise buildings. Now, the team will prepare a OLS chart and submit the plan to Planning and Airport Operation directorates of AAI for approval,' a source in AAI told The Hindu.
The proposed runway would extend to a point near the toll gate near Moratandi on the Tindivanam-Puducherry highway. The new orientation, which is a 20-degree deviation with respect to the existing runway, to materialise would need 402 acres of land with majority of the land parcel required for expansion lying on the Tamil Nadu side. For the construction of new runway having 2,300 metre in length and 45 metre width, the AAI would need 217 acres in Tamil Nadu area and 185 acres in Puducherry side, said an official.
'Land acquisition will be the biggest challenge as we will need around ₹ 1,500 crore to bear the acquisition cost in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. We have approached the Centre for the financing part and also initiated talks with Tamil Nadu at administrative level land acquisition part. While residential areas are less in places where land acquisition was necessary, government assets would need rehabilitation. Shifting of certain civic facilities will also be a huge challenge. We are still in a very preliminary stage as far land acquisition part of airport expansion project was concerned,' the official said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Old careers continue to remain relevant, say experts
At the webinar on 'Emerging Careers 2030: Why Humanities and Sciences Hold the Key', organised jointly by SRM Institute of Science and Technology and The Hindu, experts emphasised that relatively old careers continue to remain relevant. Pro Vice-Chancellor at SRM Institute of Science and Technology Vinay Kumar and Founder and CEO, Inomi Learning, Gurugram, Richa Dwivedi Saklani spoke of the several emerging career opportunities for students studying sciences or humanities. Mr. Kumar said that while AI, green economy and sustainability, logistics and e-commerce, and healthcare and life sciences were emerging fields, as mentioned in the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025, existing careers would not change much in the future. He said jobs such as journalism, Human Resources, and corporate communications would remain important. Responding to his observation that India had specific problems such as growing urban development and an ageing society, which required tailored solutions, Ms. Saklani said people who would mull such solutions would require skills in technology, entrepreneurship, and the humanities. Both speakers stressed the importance of acquiring inter-disciplinary skills. Ms. Saklani said that while people in the sciences need to learn how to handle people effectively and identify talent, those in the humanities need to be more open to using technology, new software, and AI. Mr. Kumar emphasised writing persuasively, critical thinking, and empathy as important skills of the present and future. 'When people get trained in multiple disciplines, their thinking changes in a fundamental way,' he said, adding that the National Education Policy stressed on multi-disciplinary education. The speakers also said internships were important in expanding CVs. Mr. Kumar said several companies now request universities to send students to work with them. He said SRM had even reduced course work so that students could take up internships. 'But companies need to work with universities to make these internships meaningful,' he stressed. Ms. Saklani said Inomi encouraged students to get internships as it helped them 'build skills in a live environment with the support of mentors.' Internships, she said, helped students to 'hit the ground running' when they enter the job market. The discussion was moderated by Radhika Santhanam. This webinar can be viewed at
The Hindu
13 hours ago
- The Hindu
Pension sanctioned to 55 people at special Adalat in Nellore
Pensions were sanctioned to as many as 55 people and the General Provident Fund (GPF) authorisation letters were given to 15 persons during a special Adalat held in Nellore on Wednesday. Pension and GPF Adalat was organised here to review and discuss about pending pension cases and GPF related issues for speedy resolution. Speaking to The Hindu, Shanthi Priya Sarella, Principal Accountant General (A&E), Andhra Pradesh, said, 'Pension and GPF Adalats have been organised across the State from 2022. The first Adalat was held in Visakhapatnam. Since I have assumed charge this January, Adalats were held at Kakinada and Rajahmundry where 50 pension cases and 20 issues related to GPF were resolved.' 'After Nellore, another Adalat will be conducted at Vinjamur in the same district. We are planning to hold Adalats at Bheemavaram and Amalapuram in the coming months. We are holding such meetings every quarter to cover all the districts of AP. The pension sanction documents will soon be provided electronically to retired government employees,' she informed. The Principal Accountant General said that every government employee should be aware of the documents that need to be attached with the application while sending pension proposals. She also said that there is no need to wait until retirement to send the said proposals. They can be sent three months in advance, Ms. Sarella said. She explained that many people are still sending pension proposals after retirement. Due to this, it has been noticed that the employees are upset that they have not been granted pension after retirement. From this month, the Electronic Pension Payment Order (EPPO) sanction documents will be provided electronically to employees retiring from few departments. A video has also been made on the procedure for submitting the application online, and this video will be made available to all employees. It explains the common mistakes made by employees. The sanction of pension is delayed mainly due to improper filling of nomination papers.
Time of India
21 hours ago
- Time of India
AAI suspends land acquisition for Surat airport expansion
Surat: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has asked the Surat collector to put in abeyance the process to acquire 25.33 acres of land to expand the Surat airport. The AAI and Gujarat govt had signed an MoU in Dec 2023, under which AAI proposed to expand the airport precinct and put in place the CAT-1 approach lighting system and an ASR-MSSR radar facility. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Sources said AAI officials have told the collector's office they do not want the land. It is germane that Runway 22 is already displaced by 615m, due to alleged illegal constructions affecting the aircraft funnel path. With no CAT-1 instrument landing system (ILS), safety concerns will persist. A senior Surat airport official, on condition of anonymity, told TOI: "We noticed there are no major diversions due to fog or smoke for which the CAT-1 lighting system would be needed. We do not have much fog like Delhi or Amritsar. We felt spending crores on the system was unnecessary as we don't have major issues. In the last year, only three flights were diverted due to fog. We thus asked the collector to put the land acquisition in abeyance. " Surat collectorate officials confirmed having received the request. "As AAI does not need the land anymore, we will not proceed with the acquisition process," said an official. The acquisition plan was referred to as the Surat Airport Expansion Project by AAI and the Gujarat govt's civil aviation department. A memorandum of understanding (MOU) for it had been signed in Dec 2023, agreeing to acquire land through a special land acquisition officer under the observation of the Surat collector. AAI had asked for 20.33 acres of land for the CAT-1 approach lighting system and five acres for the ASR and MSSR facility. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now A request for 25.33 acres was made by two letters written in April 2025 and May 2025. The AAI suddenly decided they did not want the land anymore. It was proposed that the 25.33 acres of land would be acquired from 20 owners, for which a budget of Rs 215 crore had been approved. With the CAT-1 and advanced radar project put on hold, aviation experts raised concerns about safety issues. An aviation expert said: "The CAT-I lighting system is vital for ensuring safe landings during low visibility conditions, especially in winters and monsoons. Its importance is amplified at Surat airport, where Runway 22 is already displaced by 615 metres due to obstacle limitations — a matter currently under litigation through a public interest litigation (PIL)." He added: "The airport regularly handles diverted flights from Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Vadodara in adverse weather. Additionally, fog in winter and industrial smoke from the Hazira-Sachin belt, along with the heavy monsoon rain, often reduce visibility below safe landing limits. With 24x7 operations and a high volume of landings on Runway 22, which is shortened by 615 metres due to the height obstacle issue, leaving merely 2291 metres, CAT I lighting would provide visual guidance to ensure safe and uninterrupted landings in low visibility. " ASR-MSSR is a modern radar system used at airports and by air traffic control for surveillance and navigation. ASR stands for Airport Surveillance Radar and MSSR stands for Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar.
