Airport gets a never before overhaul for mega event

NAGPUR:Workers continued even after sun down to give finishing touches to their job as the C20 delegates landed to a rousing welcome on Sunday. For someone who hasn’t been here in over a month, the Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport throws up a surprise. What would have been only part of the plans over modernization so far has now become a reality. The run up to the C20 summit has got the Nagpur airport a makeover which has never happened before. The change is tangible right from the entry from Wardha Road side till the terminals. Grown up palm trees have been planted along the roads.
A different variety of date trees are seen on the dividers. The trees have been illuminated too. The area around Ambedkar’s statue has got a facelift and is well-lit. The NMC has done the entire landscaping of the outer area in a month’s time. Apart from the new trees that have been planted on the ground, there are easily more than 500 different species put up in pots. Huge flower pots shaped like arcs adorn the pavements also frequented by walkers. A metal tiger near the dome towards the terminals has become a selfie point for a number of visitors merely coming to have a look at the airport these days.
The dome itself is decorated with tricolours. surrounding it. Close by, workers struggled to erect a 500kg lamppost. Four such lampposts have been erected on the front side close to the terminal. “A number of contractors have been engaged and our job is to install these lampposts which have been specially designed,” says Prasanna Tokekar one of the contractor A lot more has bene done. The empty space near the parking slot used to be often strewn with garbage. Manicured lawns now cover the space.
The roads have been done up. Tarred again, fresh tiles have been placed. Earlier, there used to be mere overgrowth along the parking lot. There is a flower pot or fern at each point, said an airport worker. The entire work done on the outer side has been done by the NMC. Inside there have been some upgrades like the visiting lounge, said Abid Ruhi, the airport director. On the further maintenance of the work he said the matter would be discussed with the civic body on whether it would be done by the NMC or Mihan India Limited which operates the airport. A fresh sign board directs towards the terminals. The toilet close to the parking which was earlier difficult to spot now has a prominent signboard. There are portraits on the walls.