The demand for an airstrip in Kodagu for tourism promotions may soon become a reality as the Department of Revenue has promised that the land required for developing the facility would be transferred to the Kodagu district administration.
Minister for Revenue Krishna Byre Gowda has assured Minister in-charge of Kodagu district N.S. Boseraju on Friday that steps will be taken for transferring the land for developing the airstrip.
A meeting in this regard was held in Bengaluru in which Mr. Byre Gowda and Mr. Boseraju took part. Kodagu MLAs Mantar Gowda and A.S Ponnana were also present.
Mr. Boseraju said the meeting discussed the funds required for the construction of Mini Vidhana Soudha in the newly-formed taluks in Kodagu and also the administrative blocks. The Revenue Minister was urged to sanction funds required for the constructions from his department, Mr. Boseraju said.
Importantly, the meeting also discussed the land required for establishing the airstrip in Kodagu. Mr. Byre Gowda was urged to transfer the necessary land for the facility at the earliest, Mr. Boseraju said after the meeting.
Kodagu was one of the choices of the State government for developing the airstrip in addition to Dharmasthala, and Chikkamagaluru for promoting tourism. However, the proposal saw some resistance among the greens who questioned the reason for developing the facility considering the fragile ecosystem in Kodagu.
The Kannur International Airport has brought smiles to Karnataka’s bordering district of Kodagu as it is the closest airport from Madikeri, Gonikoppal, and Kushalnagar. Kushalnagar, a commercial town surrounded by tourism hotspots, is around 100 km from Kannur, while Madikeri and Gonikoppal are about 95 km and 55 km, respectively, from the Kerala city.
Stakeholders in the tourism sector said Kodagu, both in terms of business and tourism, will benefit from Kannur’s facility. Tourists travelling by road from Bengaluru airport may prefer Kannur airport to reach Kodagu for tourism reasons, they claimed.
