Mamnoor airport revival – a poll stunt?

Warangal: The recent back-to-back developments - the Airports Authority of India (AAI) seeking details about the High Flood Level (HFL) at the proposed airport, and MA&UD Minister KT Rama Rao's meeting with the Civil Aviation Ministry urging it to include Mamnoor Airport in the Centre's Udaan Scheme – appear to have rekindled the hopes of the Warangalites, who have been waiting thirsty for air connectivity. However, the Opposition termed the revival of the airport as a poll stunt by the ruling TRS ahead of the Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC) elections early next year.

The 1930-commissioned Mamnoor airfield, located on the suburbs of Warangal, that went into oblivion in the mid-1980s has always been a moot point for the political parties.

The revival of the airfield is not all that easy as there was a huge gap between requirement and availability. Presently, the airport has around 706 acres, as against the requirement of at least 1,200 acres, as specified by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Although the district administration had identified 439 acres near Nakkalapally village adjacent to the existing airstrip, there was no real effort to acquirethe land.

The other major hurdle before the State government is to get rid of the Exclusivity Clause - 5.2.2 signed by it and GMR Group, which developed Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) at Shamshabad in 2004. The clause says no new or existing airport shall be permitted to be developed as, or improved or upgraded into, a domestic airport within an aerial distance of 150 km of the RGIA before 2029.

With some activity every now and then around the revival of the airport, people's hopes kept afloat. But in reality, there was no apparent move either from the State or the Centre to revive the airfield.

In December 2019, the Centre ordered an aeronautical survey for reviving the existing airstrips at Mamnoor, Basanthnagar and Kothagudem as brown-field airports.

Recently, the AAI sought the HFL details from the R&B Department. Sources say that it was to check whether there was any stream or river at the sites of proposed airport in order to take necessary measures to prevent inundation. Close on the heels of it, KTR met the Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and urged him to revive the Mamnoor airport under Udaan scheme.

On Monday, Minister for Panchayat Raj Errabelli Dayakar Rao along with Chief Whip D Vinay Bhaskar, Wardhannapet MLA Aroori Ramesh and District Collector Rajeev Gandhi Hanumanthu inspected the Mamnoor airfield and said that the State government is desperate to revive the air connectivity.

"The State is ready to acquire land required for the airport," Errabeli said.

Warangal District Congress Committee (DCC) President Naini Rajender Reddy says it as a political stunt ahead of GWMC election to hoodwink the people yet again.

"It's difficult to believe the TRS government which failed to acquire land for the Periodical Overhauling (POH) unit in Kazipet for the last four years. It also failed to start the work on the road over bridge (RoB) near Fathima Nagar in the last four years. With the recent rains exposing the TRS government's failures in Warangal city, the ruling party wants to divert the people's attention by bringing forth the revival of Mamnoor airport," Reddy said.

CPI Warangal district secretary Mekala Ravi, who expressed similar opinion, said that the TRS government had totally failed to fulfill the aspirations of the people. "Instead of making hollow promises, the government should come up with an action plan to develop industries so that to create employment opportunities in the region."