AAI clarification contradicts Revanth Reddy’s claim on Begumpet airport underpass

An RTI response from the Airports Authority of India has contradicted Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s statement that work on the proposed Begumpet airport underpass was underway, clarifying that the proposal is still pending approval with AAI headquarters in New Delhi

Hyderabad: Has Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy misled the Legislative Council by his statement that works were in progress for a first-of-its-kind underpass beneath the runway at Begumpet airport?

However, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has maintained that the proposal is still pending approval.

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During Question Hour in the Legislative Council in March last, the Chief Minister went on record stating that the State government had secured necessary permissions from the AAI and that work on the under-tunnel at Begumpet airport was in progress.

He went on to announce that for the first time such a facility was being built under the airport runway to ease traffic congestion in these parts of the city.

However, in an RTI response, the AAI has now clarified that the proposed tunnel was beyond the runway and that the approval was still under process with AAI, CHQ, New Delhi.

In response to a query, the RTI reply said HMDA had submitted a proposal to AAI for construction of an underground tunnel in the operational area not beneath the runway of Begumpet airport. The HMDA proposal was forwarded to the AAI headquarters.

The proposed underpass is part of the elevated corridor between Paradise Circle and the Dairy Farm (Suchitra Junction) in Secunderabad Cantonment area.

However, when the RTI applicant sought a copy of the proposal submitted by the HMDA, the reply stated that the information sought pertains to a third party and is exempt from disclosure under Section 8 (1)(j) of the Right to Information Act, 2005, as its disclosure would constitute an unwarranted invasion of privacy.