The airport project at Bellary got underway recently after the foundation stone for the same was laid by two farmers from Changanur village in the presence of Chief Minister of Karnataka B. S. Yeddiyurappa and Opposition leader in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj. The ceremony was presided over by B. Sriramulu, Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Government of Karnataka. MARG Limited, leading infrastructure development company, has been awarded the contract for the development and operation of the greenfield airport by the Government of Karnataka, on a build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis under the public-private partnership (PPP) model. MARG has set up a special purpose vehicle (SPV) in the name of MARG Sri Krishnadevaraya Airport Ltd. to execute the project.
G R K Reddy, Chairman & Managing Director, MARG, was also present at the groundbreaking ceremony.
The airport will come up on 900 acres of land at Sanganakar village (around 12 km from Bellary), which the state government has acquired.
"MARG is happy to be partnering with the Government of Karnataka in developing the airport, which will be a magnificent gateway to the exotic second-fastest growing district in Karnataka after Bangalore. We are confident that the airport will be a giant leap towards bridging the gap between the potential growth centres and urban centres in the state," Reddy told reporters.
MARG will operate and maintain the airport for 30 years, after which the state will take over. In addition to terminal buildings, runways and control towers, MARG will also develop access facilities and build utilities necessary to serve the airport.
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