In recent weeks, we’ve heard a lot about the looming 2033 end-date for the Bengaluru International Airport Limited’s exclusive right to operate in the region. We’re beginning to hear from political leaders in the region, each arguing that the second airport should be located in their constituencies or districts. The Tamil Nadu government too has weighed in, with its announcement that a large international airport will be set up somewhere near Hosur. Andhra Pradesh might have its own ideas, too.
It is understandable that the decision to locate a large anchor facility anywhere will be political, too. However, the lesson we should learn from the last experience is that it is difficult to get to a good answer if we don’t follow a healthy process. At least in hindsight, many now agree that it was a mistake to have chosen Devanahalli as the site of the first airport. Some even argue that closing HAL airport down to facilitate exclusive rights for BIAL was also a mistake, especially considering how much the eastern suburbs have grown.
How can we do it differently this time, and what should be the basis for the decision? There are five things that come to mind.
The most critical step we can take is to create a process for the decision. If we set up a Second Airport Steering Group with participation from all the right stakeholders, it will automatically create a higher likelihood of multiple factors being considered. Without this, there will be a higher chance that something critical will never be placed on the table, or dismissed as not important.
Public consultation will be important. Although leaders in government routinely declare that they are taking decisions to serve the public’s interest, they invariably don’t ask the people what they actually want. There may be reasons why some choices are not made according to the preferences of the people, but it is both democratic and legally required in planning large projects that there should be opportunity for input from citizens.
Third, the airport must be seen as one part of the set of steps to be taken to facilitate mobility to and from the entire metropolitan region. The benefits of a particular location might lead to our choice, but it should also be considered how people who live everywhere in the metropolis will gain that benefit. Devanahalli was a disaster from this perspective. Not only did the government scramble to construct the road to the airport when it opened, even today, large parts of the region are not properly connected by road or train to it.
Planning for mobility alone will be a mistake, additionally. Where will the jobs of the next 20+ years come up? And where do we wish to locate the next 3 million homes that will be needed as the population continues to rise? Considering these together with mobility planning is important; the Master Plan process should facilitate exactly this. But that is another stalled item on the government’s plate. There is an opportunity to now do it properly, considering how pivotal the second airport could be.
A fifth factor is that Karnataka may not be alone in deciding the economic viability of what is proposed. With Tamil Nadu pushing for a Hosur airport, and Andhra Pradesh too looking at developing its southwestern districts, there is every chance that we could see three new airports come up within 150 km of Bengaluru. Not only that, it should also be considered how new airports could impact BIAL itself due to spatial changes in travel demand patterns.
The best course, therefore, would be for the three states to have a mutually agreed view of how to develop air travel infrastructure in the region. Often, this is left to the Centre, but that doesn’t always meet the different interests of each state. Taking up the discussion among themselves could be a more direct and ultimately more fruitful option.
The new airport will be both a magnet and an anchor of the direction of growth in the Bengaluru metropolitan region. Therefore, it is prudent to consider what changes we wish it to foster, and what changes it will induce as a result of where we put it. A healthy process for considering these twin goals can prove to be practically useful for the regional economy and the people of this region. Additionally, and importantly, it also has the potential to set a precedent for all of India in how such large decisions are made.