Rakesh Bhatnagar

New Delhi: The new Rs 2,500 crore modern airport at Bangalore can’t open on May 12 as the Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre to redress the grievance of some citizens who want both the old and the new commercial airports remain functional.

Initially, the airport was to come into operation on March 30.

Expressing its concern with the problems that a group of Bangloreans highlighted in their petition saying that both the airports —- the old one at HAL and the new one at Devanahalli - be kept in operation, the Supreme Court asked the Centre to look into their pleas.

A bench of chief justice K G Balakrishnan and justice Mukundakam Sharma rolled the matter back to the government’s court for a solution.

Additional solicitor general Gopal Subramanium argued said that the civil aviation ministry has called a meeting on May 6 to discuss the advice of the Karnataka High Court.

The government will consider their petition in accordance with law, Subramanium assured. Lawyer Harish Salve who appeared for

Bangalore City Connect Foundation, an NGO, submitted that the petitioner did not object to the opening of the new airport, but they wanted the HAL airport to be used for short-haul domestic flights for the convenience of the public.

"It is therefore submitted that the high court clearly erred in failing to direct for continued operation of HAL airport while itself directing the Union of India to renegotiate the terms of the concession agreement on this issue,’’ he added.

“Whatever be the situation, the government should not have any objections,’’ Salve argued.

Source : DNA