Rs 64cr ‘wasted’ on runway extension at airport: CAG

Surat: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) in its audit report of Surat Airport has stated that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) unnecessarily spent Rs 64 crore for the extension of runway at the Dumas side by 655 metres when 615 metre of runway at Vesu side was displaced to maintain the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards for flight safety in the approach area due to the building height obstacles.
According to the CAG report, a proposal to extend the runway-04 at Dumas and strengthening and recarpeting of the existing runway was sanctioned in April 2015 at the estimated cost of Rs 72 crore.
The phase-1 was completed in April 2017 and the phase-II was completed in June 2018 with the total cost of Rs 64 crore.
In the meantime, Aeronautical Obstacle Survey (AOS) was conducted at Surat airport in August 2016 where 18 private buildings near to airport at Vesu side having height in excess of maximum height were granted NOC between 2008-09 and 2013-14.
Again the two AOS were conducted in February 2017 and June 2018 where 50 obstacles were identified.
However, due to these obstacles, 615 metre of runway at Vesu was displaced for landing, reducing the available runway length from 2,905 metres to 2,290 metres.
There was an additional revenue loss of Rs 36 crore due to the abnormal delay in strengthening work of the runway and removal of obstructions between January 2012 to June 2018 as the airport could operate only two flights in a day.