Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the first phase of the newly integrated terminal at Chennai Airport, which is worth 1,260 crore. The Chennai Airport Modernization Phase II is part of the new terminal.
Prime Minister Modi arrived in Chennai for the inauguration of the terminal building after spending a few hours in Hyderabad. The Governor R N Ravi of Tamil Nadu Stalinand gave him a warm welcome at the airport.
The new terminal inauguration at Chennai airport will make Tamil Nadu a gateway to not only South India but to the whole of India, according to the Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia.
Speaking to the media, Scindia said: Today is a very important day in the history of Chennai. Chennai is a reflection of the potential of India. The capacity of Chennai Airport will increase by 50% today. Some of the prominent features of the airport are :
The new Chennai Airport terminal is built in an area of 2,20, 972 sqm and has been built to address the growing air traffic in the state of Tamil Nadu.
It has been developed at a cost of Rs 1,260 crore and can handle 35 million passengers a year.
The GRIHA standards are used in the new terminal. GRIHA stands for Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment, which was developed to evaluate the environmental performance of buildings and habitats.
There will be 54 immigration counters at the arrival and departure counters to ease the transit procedures.
Phase I of the new terminal will have 100 state-of-the-art check-in counters to speed up departures. Self-baggage drop kiosks will be available for check-in so check-in can be quicker and hassle-less.
Security screening will be faster with 11 Automatic Tray Retrieval Systems ATRS in place for screening carry-on baggage so passengers can have smooth clearance.
The Skylight terminal has a unique feature. It will harvest natural light to illuminate the area inside the building and reduce energy consumption.
During his Hyderabad visit, PM Modi launched a scathing attack on Telangana's ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi BRS and its chief K Chandrashekar Rao accusing him of obstructing the Centre's development projects and indulging in 'parivarvaad' family rule and corruption.
At a public rally in Hyderabad, PM Modi said that the state government was not cooperating with the Centre in implementing various schemes and initiatives that would benefit the people of Telangana, which will hold elections later this year.
I am saddened by the non-cooperation of the state government in the centre's projects. The dreams of the people of Telangana are affected by this. PM Modi said that the state government should not allow any obstruction in developments planned for Telangana people.
Without naming KCR, Modi said: A handful of people who encourage parivarvaad' are trying to see where they can reap benefits from projects being implemented for the people of Telangana.