Work on the multi-crore airport complex on Chennai-Bengaluru Highway (NH 44) in Vellore is nearing completion as workers are installing fencing with steel wires around the new facility for the past few days.
Officials of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said the steel fencing was one of the final tasks leftover at the new airport and the facility would be commissioned by November after a safety audit by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). “Only a few finishing touches remain. We are just waiting for the DGCA nod to commence operations at the airport,” an official said.
The new facility will have steel fencing 12-15 feet high. This is mainly to reduce the construction cost of the airport, which is spread over an area of 97 acres. High-resolution lights will be installed along with the fencing for added security. Among the basic amenities, approach roads from Chennai-Bengaluru Highway have been laid by acquiring parcels of private land. A waiting hall for passengers has also been built near the airport’s entrance.
Currently, the new airport consists of a 850-m runway, taxiway, ground handling equipment, air traffic control (ATC) and aviation information receiving facility, terminal building, and oil depot. The old airstrip, which could only accommodate eight-seater aircraft, has been expanded to be able to handle 20-seater aircraft.
Officials said the new airport in Vellore was sanctioned a few years ago under the second phase of the Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik - Regional Connectivity Scheme (UDAN-RCS), which aims to improve connectivity in smaller towns, especially those neighbouring metropolitan and tier-two cities. The new airport will be helpful to domestic travellers in areas like Ambur, Arcot, Vanniyambadi, and Vellore, officials said.
