The Air India-Singapore Airport Terminal Services consortium and the Menzies Aviation-Bobba Group joint venture are set to win separate contracts to provide cargo operations at the upcoming Bangalore International Airport at Devanahalli.

BIAL has selected these two independent operators to design, build, finance, operate and maintain all facilities of cargo terminal operation. Expansion will be gradual based on growth in cargo volumes. The aim is to develop the new airport as a regional hub for cargo.

The Board also thrashed out all outstanding issues pertaining to the re-designing of the airport to accommodate higher traffic flows than originally estimated, which will raise the project cost by an additional Rs 450 crore over the initial cost of Rs 1,411.79 crore.

The first phase of the airport is now being re-designed to handle about 11 million passengers annually, up from the original estimate of four million passengers.
                                                                    —The Hindu, 10 March.



Foundation stone laid
for the Bangalore Metro rail project

The foundation stone for the Bangalore Metro (popularly called Namma Metro), was laid by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. This could make India's Silicon Valley the 106th city globally to sport a comfortable and hassle-free means of public transport. Complimenting Bangalore for its technological skills, Mr Singh said that both the Union and State governments needed to start planning for further expansion of Bangalore with an eye on the future needs of the vibrant city. Mr Singh said that besides focusing on providing the necessary impetus to grow Bangalore's infrastructure, there was a need to work for Karnataka's development. "I do not see any contradiction between the two. India cannot develop if only a few benefit from that process. We want both urban and rural areas to develop. It is only through such an inclusive growth process that we can build a prosperous, equitable and humane nation", he said.

The Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy in his address also endorsed Mr Singh's view (on developing rural/semi-urban centres), noting that developing tier-II towns and cities was a high priority issue for his administration. Mr Kumaraswamy said that RITES had been commissioned for a comprehensive traffic and transportation study.

To complement the Metro Rail, Mr Kumaraswamy said, the state government has announced its intent to have a monorail system on at least three routes. Mr V. Madhu, MD of Bangalore Metro added that the "Namma Metro" would carry 16.1 lakh persons in 2021 and was designed to carry 40,000 persons PHPDT (peak hour peak direction trips).
                                                       —The Economic Times, 25 June.



Bangalore is a global brand

Hailing Bangalore as a global brand, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that people across the world know more about this city than they do about India, and the rest of the state should emulate its success.

Speaking after laying the foundation stone of a ten-lane mixed corridor to Electronic City here, he said: "You (Kannada people) have become the symbol of a new India, an India on the move, rising to fulfill its destiny on the world map." The success of the IT revolution in Karnataka had placed the city on the world map, he added.

Stating that what Bangalore has done over the past decade, the rest of Karnataka should do over the next decade, he said: "Become home to enterprise, to talent, to creativity and the spirit of adventure."

                                                                —Times of India, 24 June.