Dilip Buildcon declared L-1 bidder for construction of airport at Hirasar

Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firm Dilip Buildcon said on Friday it has been selected as the lowest bidder by the Airports Authority of India for construction of a greenfield airport at Hirasar near Rajkot city of Gujarat.

The Rs 570 crore project will be completed with 30 months, it said in a statement. The scope of work includes detailed designing, engineering, procurement and construction of runway, basic strips, turning pads, taxiways, apron, airfield ground lighting system and visual aids for navigation.

In March, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had approved the development of new greenfield airport in the Hirasar district, about 36 km from Rajkot which is the fourth largest city in Gujarat after Ahmedabad, Surat, and Vadodara.

Reports say the existing airport at Rajkot is severely constrained with just 236 acres of land. It suffers from capacity restraints due to presence of residential as well as commercial buildings around it.

A railway line and a state highway located around this airport on the eastern side also prohibit extension of the runway. There is no feasibility to expand and the possibility of operating wide-bodied aircraft is also ruled out.

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