New Delhi: According to a Civil Aviation Ministry official, a decision on the modernisation of Kolkata airport would be taken within a month and Chennai in two months.
"We have now reached a stage where we are ready to take a decision. It will not be more than a month," PTI quoted new Civil Aviation Secretary Ashok Chawla as saying.
Talking about the Chennai airport he said, "We must get to some finality on the issue of land acquisition for its expansion, including construction of another runway. It should not go beyond two months."
However, on Kolkata airport he said that the Airports Authority of India would take up the project worth about Rs 2,000 crore. While 40 per cent of it would be taken up in the 11th Plan, the remaining part would be carried out in the 12th Plan.
“While the AAI could implement the entire project out if its internal accruals, it could also depend on market borrowings on the basis of its capital accumulation worth over Rs 4,000 crore,” Chawla said.
He also announced that a PPP (public-private partnership) cell would be opened in the Ministry to vigorously pursue the development of the non-aeronautical side of these non-metro airports.
When asked about the budget proposal to levy three per cent customs duty on imported aircraft, Chawla said besides customs duty, another 16 per cent is levied as countervailing duty, three per cent as education cess and another three per cent as special duty.
"We would propose to the Finance Ministry that the 16 per cent countervailing duty should be removed on aircraft, which are not produced domestically. The countervailing duty is meant to protect domestic producers and that is not applicable in case of aircraft," PTI quoted Chawla as saying.
On withholding tax on leased aircraft and aircraft engines, which would become applicable from April one, he said all airlines, who wanted to lease planes have been advised to sign their lease deeds before this period.
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