Maharashtra seeks airport licence for Shirdi

The Maharashtra government has applied for an aerodrome licence from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for the airport at pilgrimage town of Shirdi and non-scheduled flights from there will be operational within three months.

Prem Singh Meena, additional chief secretary of the state’s general administration department (GAD) said it would promote tourism as well as boost industrial development in Ahmednagar district.

The Rs 345-crore Shirdi airport is to be built on 350 hectares in Kakdi village around 13 km from Shirdi. Currently, the airstrip of 2,500 metres has been completed while a part of the compound wall has also been completed.

A committee of DGCA during its visit to the airport has questioned the incomplete compound wall and denied license to operate the airport. “We have completed the work and ordered a machine that will help to guide aeroplanes for landing and take off. Later we will construct Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower,” said Mr Meena.

Mr Meena confirmed that they would get Rs 60 crore before end of this financial year and the remaining would be given the next financial year. “This amount will be spent on construction of ATC and terminal building,” he said.

While government has spent Rs 200 crore, Rs 45 crore was given by the Shirdi Saibaba Sansthan. The finance ministry has made a provision of Rs 100 crore in the budget and Rs 60 crore has been transferred to GAD for the purpose of Shirdi airport.

The entire effort of having an airport at Shirdi is to promote religious tourism and with the centenary celebrations, the government is looking at a huge conglomeration of tourists all across the world and are hurrying to meet the deadline of next year, said an official from the tourism department.

It will also boost industrial development of backward Ahmednagar district as MIDC has already allotted a special zone for Japanese manufacturing units at Supa-Parner industrial area in the district,” said an official from industries ministry.

Meanwhile, the airport is being built by the Maharashtra Airport Development Company and state has set a target to make it operational in 2017 as centenary celebration of Saibaba is in 2017-18.