52m-tall ATC tower work gains momentum

KOLKATA: The piling work—the most critical phase during the construction of any tall structure—has been completed for the new 52-m-high air traffic control (ATC) tower and technical block at the city airport. With the basement also excavated, its roof slab will mark the progression of construction above the ground.

Airports Authority of India (AAI) regional executive director (east) S P Yadav told TOI that the completion of the 798 piles driven into the earth at depths ranging from 14m to 30m meant work would progress unhindered through the monsoon this year, ensuring adherence to the project timeline. “We will cast the basement roof slab early next month. Thereafter, work will shift above the ground. Though the project is currently behind schedule due to engineering changes that had to be carried out during piling owing to the poor nature of the soil, the time will be made up in the months ahead as work accelerates,” Yadav said.

The project that began in July-August 2018 is scheduled to be completed by January 2021. Of the Rs 458 crore allocated for the tower and technical blocks, around 15% has been spent till now.

The new tower will rise up to a height of 52m, equivalent to a 17-storey building. The existing tower, which sits atop the eight-storey air traffic navigation complex, is 34 metres high. While the tower area will increase marginally from 34,400 sq ft to 36,000 sq ft, the floor area in the technical block will see a massive increase from 75,500 sq ft to 2,84,000 sq ft. The technical block will house around 750 people, most of them controllers and engineers.

“Not only will the new facility be state of the art, it will be green too. From the very beginning, we are working towards Griha 4 rating. Rainwater will be harvested and power load will be reduced from 9,200 kw to 4,800 kw. Furthermore, 32,000 sq ft of green area will be developed,” the RED said.

The tower project had been held up for four years as AAI deliberated on the design and height. Initially proposing the height of the tower as 86m, controllers had lobbied for a 112-m structure that would have been the AAI’s showpiece. But the approved height of 52m, way shorter than that of at Delhi (102m) and Mumbai

(83.8m), disheartened many. The controllers’ guild in Kolkata had argued that a tall tower was necessary to sight planes parked along the international wing of the terminal. But AAI headquarters shot down the proposal, citing technical issues, including obstruction of radar coverage.