INDIA 30 May 2008 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurates Bangalore International Airport in "Silicon Valley" of India

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurates the country's first greenfield airport, Bangalore International Airport, in Bangalore, Karnataka, the “Silicon Valley” of the country and capital of its information technology sector. An employee strike caused a postponement from March to May. Social activists and organizations have planned a protest march to mark the occasion.

The airport construction was carried out despite protests from local farmers who were displaced by the project. 

Bangalore’s elevation to the IT capital had been viewed cynically at the international level due its earlier airport facilities. The global IT giants – Infosys and Wipro even threatened to shift their base to other cities in India, which forced both the state government of Karnataka and government of India to step in. Construction of the airport began in July 2005 after repeated delays for about a decade.

The airport construction was carried out despite protests from local farmers who were displaced by the project.

An express highway connecting the airport to the city of Bangalore has been proposed.

A greenfield project is one where a private entity or a public-private joint venture builds and operates a new facility, entering into Build-Own-Transfer (BOT) or Build-Own-Operate (BOO) contracts for this purpose. UPDATED 4/08

ARTICLE WRITTEN BY NEWSAHEAD CORRESPONDENT C.BALAJI, WHO IS AVAILABLE FOR FREELANCE ASSIGNMENTS IN INDIA AND THE REGION. email: mohan balaji

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Greenfield airport projects (Hindu Business Line, 29 Jul 2007)
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/07/29/stories/2005072900130800.htm