Hyderabad: BJP leader Gudur Narayana Reddy on Saturday urged Union civil aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu to put the Begumpet Airport land to commercial use so that a good amount of revenue could be generated and amenities for the people of Hyderabad could be expanded.
The nearly 800 acre land at Begumpet was almost idle as no commercial aviation activities were being done. Though the army was given the opportunity to use it, it has been using the Hakimpet Air Force Station for most of its purposes. The airport is also used for VVIP flights and chartered operations.
After the inauguration of the airport at Shamshabad in 2008, the Begumpet Airport has been mostly deserted, except for air traffic control office activities and a few piolot training academies.
Gudur Narayana Reddy said about Rs one crore per month was reportedly being spent on the maintenance of the airport with paltry returns.
Nearly 80,000 crore of property could become a golden goose to the Centre if it is commercially developed. "The land of the airport could be used for construction of hospitals, hotels, residential apartments, and many others which would be of immense use to the people of Greater Hyderabad," he said.
"There is no empty and idle land like the one this airport has in Hyderabad. It would be nearly impossible to acquire such land in the core city. There would be no need to acquire the airport land since it is already under the govt's ownership," he said.