Lack of understanding and coordination
between two government agencies is said to be coming in the way of development
of the proposed integrated air cargo complex at Visakhapatnam Airport.
Airports Authority of India (AAI), a
Central Government organisation, is the owner of the land and buildings on
which the airport is located. AP Trade Promotion Corporation (APTPC), a State
government organisation, is the custodian of international cargo operations.
It’s learnt that the APTPC, which has a
lot of experience and expertise in the design and construction of air cargo
complexes, had offered to take up the construction of a new integrated cargo
complex in place of the old terminal building at the airport. The APTPC had
even expressed its readiness to invest funds in construction of the building
and procurement of scanning machines but the AAI was not willing to take up the
offer.
The AAI had planned to develop an
integrated cargo complex by making certain modifications to the old terminal
building and setting up cold storages.
This is being delayed reportedly due to
paucity of funds. Then, what’s preventing AAI from entrusting the development
of the integrated cargo complex to the government agency which has expertise in
it? The AAI is said to be averse to giving the contract to APTPC as it owed
some dues.
The APTPC Manager Srimannarayana Rao was
overheard telling the Airport Director K. Srinivasa Rao that the APTPC had
cleared its dues payable to the AAI at the Hyderabad Airport, at a round table
of air exports, convened by the Airports Travellers Association (India), in
Visakhapatnam on Monday. GSEC Limited Director Samir Mankad underlined the need
to design and construct a new integrated cargo complex with all the required
facilities so that the export requirements could be taken care of for the next
10 years. “As a State government organisation, we can represent to the
Government of India and secure grants for construction of the integrated cargo
complex,” Mr. Srimannarayana Rao told The Hindu when asked after the meeting as
to how the APTPC could raise funds for construction of a modern integrated
cargo complex.
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