BIA launch delayed yet again - May 29 ?

The start date for BIAL has once again been postponed. This time no definite date has been anounced.

http://www.deccanherald.c...

It has been my position that all this drama of UDF, HAL airport shouldn't be closed, airport capacity etc. are all smoke screens. The real motive is different. Otherwise, how could they allow Begumpet airport to be shutdown, while the HAl airport becomes bone of contention?

First it was the drama of unpreparedness from AAI, now the High Court Ruling becomes the political tool for settling scores. Remember irrespective of who wins whether it is PIL petitioners like "City Connect" or BIAL, loss would be Bangalore's.

Just wait for the details under RTI Act about AAI's role in BIAL and RGIA airports.

Mr. Devesh,

It seems we are being railroad into believing that BIAL is the culprit here.

1. AAI (13 % share holders and ATC operators) starts taking charge only in March. That's not their fault?

2. Roads to airport are not ready. 3 years of time is too short for a distance of 40 Kms? Government is not at fault?

3. PIL gets filed and it takes it own time and course. Fault BIAL?

4. Last but not the least, Civil Aviation Minsitry can not be faulted?

People of Bangalore are looking for one answer. Is BIAL ready for operations OR not? if not then what is that needs to be completed and who is responsible for this?

Shouldn't this be the real case for a "Public Interest Litigation" application? I am sure the outcome of such PILs would not fill the coffers of those who takes decisions and businesses. Because ordinary citizens would benefit from secondary benefits of road improvements. They would have the chance to improve economically which would cut into the bottom lines of powerfuls. Isn't it?

Regards,

Syed

Guys, as some of you've rightly pointed out, the reasons cannot be connectivity or such things. If you ask me personally, the date of commencement would be aligned with the results of assmbly polls - either just before or just after the results (depending on what certain parties feel about the outcome).

An extract frm today's TOI, "Why do people living in Yelahanka, have to travel all the way to HAL aiport to catch a 1/2 an hour flight."

Isn't this taking the whol argument back to start. In the previous discussions many suggested that we take Turbo Props back to HAL. Maybe BIAL will agree, as ATR's arent much revenue and more of a clogger! N

ow we say thats not enough - we want more LCC's to operate of HAL.

So what about people in Mysore road - should we build another airport at Bidadi? What about J.P Nagar - should we build another airstrip at J.P 7th Phase? I think we gotta agree on one thing - we can't always have airports in our backyards!

We've also agreed that Air Cargo is better off being at HAL. A reader rghtly argued in the TOI today that Air Cargo is creating a hazard for residents.

We've used devannhalli as an excuse to not develop airport road. As once the airport moves the traffic will reduce.

I think this is now being taken way over proportion, we have to think practically and more constructively.

Vasanth, I am in total agreement with you. No matter where the airports, Bus Stops, railway stations are built, there will be segment of population or areas not directly connected or far away from the these facilities.

Did anybody raised any hue & cry for direct buses to Mysore from Yelahanka? No. As long as there are reasonable options to reach the destination, people would accept it.

 As I have said in my earlier post, all these excuses of distance to BIAL etc are just smoke screens. Restricting the air tarffic to BIAL seems to affect the businesses and hence all the protests, voices, PILs etc.

 Has any body filed any PIL to ensure that there is a railway connectivity to all the districts from B'lore? Has any body raised any voices for better BMTC connectivity to all the areas of Bangalore? 

 It is just the bad luck of BIAL that has fallen prey to selfish motives in the garb of politics, intellectual discussion, suggestions and PILs.

Now we are crying from top of our heads about "Triumph of Politics over need of the public......." Isn't the PIL also has played its role in pushing the BIAL start date further? PIL petitioners can neither brushed aside this fact nor hide behind the politics.

A little bird told me, that the swiss and BIAl are quite "happy" with the way the current discussions are going on..the so called renegotiation.

What the PIL chaps, city connect etc have not realised is that at the end of it  , BIAL will probably go to the bank laughing..when you say renogiatate..that too with an iron clad global agreement in hand , you can bet your life that the consortium will extarct very ounce possible. 

And even the PIL chaps advocate i "compensate BIAL" .Of course BIAL will ask for compensation if HAL is kept open and in effect it will boil down to BIAL getting compensation for not doing something.

ie... for not handling 'such and such' flights and allowing HAL to do it ..they will get an x amount!!..does this sound like a very possible outcome of the 'negotiations'

And oh yes , I forgot..there will be some money changing hands somewhere to make the renegotiation complete .So there are some more unknown beneficaries somewhere.

And all for what?..for a section of society which now claims to be the "PUBLIC" , uncomforatbale with a long ride across town !!!.

I know I am simplifying the case and argument, but just thot that this was one angle which was not discussed..

I remain a very anti HAL opening person  .

vmenon 

SB,

I agree with everything you said - except for Ramanagara/Bidadi. You would then have the ITPL side of town representing the public. Ramanagara is 48 km from JP Nagar via the NICE Road. That road is 4 laned and chaotic. I vote Sarjapur for the next international airport or just before Kanakapura (closer to my house than Devanahalli!)

It seems that the PILers want nothing short of full fledged operations in HAL. Not just short haul/ATR aircraft. I read their reactions and what I gathered was that 30% of traffic should go through HAL. Let individual airlines bid for slots, etc. Essentially there has been no concrete proposal on what is it that they want. This will become a case of the Arab and the camel!

Solving BIALs connectivity would have solved Bangalore's internal connectivity issues by 50% by putting up with the initial inconveniences. ORR would have been debottlenecked to a large extent. An extension of the NICE Road from Peenya to NH7 could have been done so that people from South and West Bangalore reach the airport in 40-60 mins. Instead of demanding that via the PIL - we demand HAL to be kept open. Amazing!

Meanwhile HIAL has finished more than a month of operation and seems to be going fine by the lack of news.

Srivathsa

Mr Devesh,

 Your earlier post indicated that you were for May 11 oepning. But your latest post points contrary to that. New Excuse - Elections?

Two questions.

1. What do you have to say on the Connectivity issues w.r.t HIAL? Has all the connectivity issues are resolved in Hyderabad that there were no issues for Begumpet airport to be shutdown for commercial use? 

2. Isn't it a fact that even after the HIAL start, Begumpet ATC was handling all the landings and take offs? 

Regards, 

Syed 

we are really talking about an organaisation /facility which

a)Does not care two hoots for any real service to a consumer .They just do not have the orientation.There can a zillion low cost ,just attitudinal measure that can be taken at hal to alieviate consumer problems.

Parking and movement of cars being one small aspect.but have they done it??

b)It has destoryed a whole urban residential area and threatens to eat up more lung spaces.

c)If allowed to continue it will eat up more resources( of the tax payers kind ), in terms of external infrastructure ( a dedicated or overhead road will soon be required for even to HAL!)

d)It is a nightmare as a security and safety risk.

And suddenly we have a whole( actually quite small) bunch of overnight airport experts, who want to keep this obnoxious thing from the jurassic age be kept open, all armed with great data mostly coming from ..guess where..yes HAL!!

There was also some money on the table talk ..here is another one then..

let hal stay open and it will be the same inefficent,public resource sucking,consumer indifferent, mosquito filled , environment busting,shameful airport not just two years from now ..but ad infinitum,

(there were some rerasons why we wanted a new airport , traffic being just one of the reasons)

Put money there please.

But oh yes i forgot..we are not really talking of any of these issues , or some high and lofty ideal of public infrastructure or avant garde airport designs..

we are really talking about the convieninces of a small set of people who are now the whole public.

I know I am being extermely vitriolic ..and I am sorry for that.

one last thing..the only reason I am personally not doing something about this on the ground..fighting on this alternate view point is that, though it bugs me no end , it really is one of the smallest issues facing bangalore.And I really have no bandwidth to devote to that.

sorry again for the outburst..moderator?? welcome to knock it off the posts

vmenon

srivatsava,

touche..could not agree more.

but you know ..the overall lesson is how any issue can be hijacked into a partcicular section of societys wishes if the rest are not vigilant.

The issue that we are at best a "lobbycracy" and not really a  true democracy yet .

menon

so what constitutes HOV for cars in bangalore context?

Elsewhere  cars with 1+1 has the ability to enter HOV lanes..in Blr we will find almost all cars with drivers..so theres a default 1 all the time..

Probably we need to make it 1+2 !

Mr Devesh,

 You have rightly acknowledged what most of praja members are trying to say. We are over spending our energies on Airports.Instead we should be spending these energies on most needed resources in the city - Roads and Transport infracstructure.

Frankly speaking we don't need high speed trains to airport. We cam afford extra 15-30 mins with a dependable regular train facility.

We don't need chopper services to reach BIAL. All what is needed is a good dependable transport service with good roads. Therefore PILs should be filed for these much needed amenities.

So our priorities should be good roads and dependable transport services. Am I wrong?

 I am sure the Chamber of Commerce with you as its chair for the Infrastructure would have already taken initiatives on this. Could you pls share the info on these initiatives with praja.

You can help Bangalore. Chamber of commerce can help Bangalore. We all can help Bangalore.

Mr. Devesh, as roads and transportation becomes better, people expand their scope of travel, business, their life etc. Businesses and the industrial onwers would be biggest gainers in this with larger turnovers and thereby more profits. That should help the city with more taxes (if we pay honestly).

Right now Bangalore's connectivity is not even and fair. We seems to plan for better amenities for areas where higher income group people live. Areas with marginal income are hardly have any connectivity to name one. This parity should go.

Actually, from business perspective volume should decide these. In US, have you seen Wallmarts, Sam's Clubs in  posh areas which has million dollor houses?

I have said it in my earlier post also. Time has come to remove these disparities and work for  fair system where all areas are taken  care of well and fairly.

I would look forward to info on initiatives on transportation.

Regards,

Syed 

I have a question regarding having all ATRs / 80 seater / short haul aircrafts operating out of the HAL airport.

Suppose one is to take a short haul flight from Mangalore - Bangalore (say) and then fly international, does that mean travelling 40kms by road with baggages getting transferred across the city by the airline? Now, how painful is that? Vice versa also holds true if one is taking a short haul domestic flight after travelling international to BIA.

Existing Mumbai domestic - international transfer itself is painful which involves shorter distance compared to BIA - HAL. Negotiating city traffic for connecting flights looks to me like a very bad idea. Also, HAL airport is so badly built, maintained & operated that it doesn't deserve to be open.