Airport in Telangana’s Adilabad still a distant dream, project yet to take off

Locals opine that public representatives from erstwhile Adilabad should exert pressure on both the State and Union governments to realise their dream of flying

Adilabad: The long-pending dream of an airport continues to remain as a distant dream for the people of Adilabad district even as resources needed for the facility are available.

The State government recently sanctioned Rs 205 crore for acquiring around 280 acres of lands meant for airport at Mumnoor in Warangal district, following clearance given by Airports Authority of India (AA) for the project recently. However, the Centre did not consider to develop an airport in Adilabad town even after local MP G Nagesh submitted representation to the Civil Aviation Minister a few months ago, dashing hopes of the people.

---

Local MLA Payal Shankar called on Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy also and urged him to take steps to establish an airport in Adilabad a few months ago. Accordingly, revenue officials sent a report incorporating details of 1,591 acres of land identified on the outskirts of Khanapur and Thantholi for the purpose of an airport and the value of the lands, Rs 438 crore, to the State government.

In August, Adilabad MP G Nagesh met Union Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu and appealed to him to sanction an airport for Adilabad. He claimed Naidu responded positively to his plea. He said that the Minister promised to create the airport if the State government hands over the land to the Centre, rekindling hopes of the people.

Locals opined that public representatives from erstwhile Adilabad district should exert pressure on both the State and Union governments to realise their dream of flying. They stated that four MLAs from BJP and Congress each could easily convince the governments and secure the facility. They reasoned that the legislators and MPs could thank the people of the region by striving hard to fulfil their long pending dream.

People of the district have been demanding successive Union governments to create an airport as Adilabad town is located around 250 kilometers away from Hyderabad and Nagpur of Maharashtra. They are currently forced to depend on airports located in either Hyderabad or Nagpur to fly to different parts of the country and world for various needs, including education and business.

“Businessmen of Adilabad town regularly travel to Nagpur, Hyderabad and Mumbai cities by air. They are left with no choice but to depend on airports in Hyderabad and Nagpur. People are forced to spend more time travelling by trains in order to reach religious centres located outside Telangana,” Jagadish Agarwal, a trader of the town said.

Adilabad had an aerodrome
Incidentally, an aerodrome was established on a sprawling 369 acres of land on the peripherals of Adilabad town by the then Nizam of Hyderabad in order to fill fuel for fighter aircrafts proceeding to battlefronts in 1930. It had come under the control of the IAF, following Independence to the country in 1947. It was used as a refueling point again for helicopters used for training pilots till late 1970s.

In 2014, the IAF proposed to convert the aerodrome into a full-fledged Air Force Station. It had sought district administration to identify adequate land for this purpose. Accordingly, 1,592 acres of land was identified by revenue officials under the limits of Kachakanti, Khanapur, Thantoli and Anukunta villages abutting the existing aerodrome in 2017.