Karnataka: Parameshwara backs Somanna's push for second airport at Tumakuru

Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara on Wednesday backed Union Minister of State for Railways and Jal Shakti V Somanna's demand to locate Bengaluru's proposed second international airport at Sira in Tumakuru district.

"We have been seeking an airport for Tumakuru for the past 25 years, but the government later identified Bidadi and other locations," Parameshwara told reporters.

Parameshwara, who represents Koratagere Assembly constituency in Tumakuru district, said an international airport at Sira would benefit not only Tumakuru but also nearly 20 districts connected to Bengaluru through the region.


His remarks come days after Somanna, the Lok Sabha MP from Tumakuru, wrote to Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu endorsing demands from legislators from central and north Karnataka to locate the proposed airport at Sira.

The legislators argued that the project would promote balanced regional development while easing congestion at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport. They contended that establishing another airport close to Bengaluru would further widen the development gap between the capital region and the rest of the state.

In their representation, the legislators said Sira was strategically located to serve the industrial, commercial and cargo requirements of central and north Karnataka.

They highlighted the region's industrial ecosystem, noting that Sira lies at the intersection of the Mumbai-Bengaluru and Chennai-Bengaluru industrial corridors and is close to the National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ) at Tumakuru and KIADB-developed industrial estates.

The memorandum also cited Sira's connectivity through National Highways 48, 69 and 544E, multiple state highways, a proposed greenfield expressway and a planned railway line linking north Karnataka with Bengaluru.

The legislators further pointed to the presence of defence and aerospace facilities, including DRDO establishments, the Indian Institute of Science campus at Chitradurga and HAL's helicopter manufacturing unit at Gubbi. They said the availability of government land and water resources strengthened Sira's case and urged the Centre to approve the project, describing it as a catalyst for industrial growth and investment across central and north Karnataka.