Bhatkal: The High Court of Karnataka has issued a notice to the state and central governments for the construction of the eco-friendly Greenfield airport in Bhatkal, which has been the dream of locals for some time now.

Bhatkal's ties not only with Mangaluru, but also with Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Gujrat and even Kerala with respect to trade is getting stronger day by day. More than ten thousand Bhatkal natives have settled in different countries, predominantly in United Arab Emirates , Saudi Arabia and other gulf countries, and forged strong trade and tourism ties  with these places. Moreover, several thousand others from nearby towns and villages have settled in gulf region for better livelihood. All these towns and villages stand to benefit from a local airport.

Though the Konkan railway passes through Bhatkal, buses are the preferred mode of transportation to reach the capital city of Bengaluru. In light of this, the Public Interest litigation (PIL) was filed by Advocate R G Kolle for Sanjay Ravinkar, a resident of Karwar. The notice issued by the High Court to the government has provided glimmer of hope not only the people of Bhatkal, but also the denizens of entire Uttara Kannada district.

What is this Greenfield airport?
The Greenfield airport project under the Central Government scheme was introduced in 2008. The basic requirement for the development of a Greenfield airport is that it can  be be built at a distance of about 150kms from an existing civilian airport. Shamsabad airport in the outskirts of Hyderabad is the first Greenfield airport.

The Central Government launched a plan named 'Udan' to develop airports in small and medium-sized towns. The town of Bhatkal checks most of the boxes in qualifying for a greenfield airport under this plan.

How much space is required?
A plane weighing about 90718 kgs require a runway of about 6000 feet for airport. Space of at least 8000 feet of land is required for a larger aircraft with a wide body. For a proper airport, around 10000 feet of land will be required for any aircraft.

Why Bhatkal?
The Uttar Kannada district is one of the best tourist destinations and attracts people from all over the country. Gokarna, Murdeshwar, Idagunji, and other tourist spots attract hundreds of thousands every year. Netrani Scuba Diving in Murdeshwar has also made a name for itself with its thrilling water park. In such a scenario, the demand of airport in Uttara Kannada district is gaining boost day by day. But the people of Alagiri in Ankola were annoyed after the Naval base was ready to provide land for airport. Later, the state government took a proposal to construct airport in Kumta, following which  800 acres of land was surveyed at Muroor region in Kumta. As the hopes of constructing airport increased, Kumta saw a spurt in new hotels. Unfortunately, the plan was kept at hold after it was found that majority of the land in the region had been encroached upon. The Kumta airport proposal also came to an end as it was very difficult to get clearance. A plan was also made to construct airport in the neighbouring Byndoor in Udupi district. But it failed the clay test, dashing the local’s hopes.

Where is the space in Bhatkal?
The current question among the residents of Bhatkal is from where the land will be provided to fulfil the dream of airport. One of the suggestions floating around is to make use of hilly areas of Mundalli as that region is not inhabited.

"The airport is a must in Bhatkal. As the fair price for railway second class AC is more than airline fares, travelers wouldn't feel the pinch in switching to flying. Also, thousands of Bhatkal and surrounding residents will be employed due to the construction of airport. Hubli airport has made a good progress as the number of flights per day has increased to 36 from 2", said Advocate R G Kolle, who filed PIL in the high court representing Sanjay Rewankar.