"This despite the fact that Committee of Infrastructure headed by the Prime Minister has categorically approved the projects," the letter read.
Patel added in the letter that there had been a similar delay in awarding the contracts for the Delhi and Mumbai airports due to the stance of the Planning Commission officials.
While on a review of the Delhi airport, Ahluwalia had pointed out that the progress in modernisation of the Delhi airport had not been satisfactory. Following his visit to the Delhi airport, Ahluwalia had convened a meeting with the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) and asked them to speed up work to end the problem of congestion.
Pointing out problems of staff shortage, Patel said that inconvenience caused at the airport was largely due to shortage of manpower at the security and immigration departments at the airport.
In his letter, Patel said that the plans for airport modernisation were in keeping with the needs of the country for the future and that the aim was not to repeat mistakes committed at the time of construction of the international terminal at the Delhi airport, plans which were cleared by the Planning Commission among other authorities.
