The GHIAL relaxed a clause in its agreement with the Union government that prohibited the development of any other aerodrome within an aerial distance of 150 kilometres.
Published Mar 05, 2025 | 5:02 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 05, 2025 | 5:02 PM
The GMR airport's approval came even as a debate has been raging worldwide over whether politics was increasingly being influenced by corporate interests.
Synopsis: Even as the Telangana and Union governments vie with each other to claim credit for the development of the Mamnoor Airport in Warangal, a different tale — surrendering the state’s sovereignty to a corporate entity and then waiting for its benevolence — has emerged.
It may sound weird, but it is true: The GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited’s largesse has given wings to the dream of developing the Mamnoor Airport in Telangana’s Warangal district.
The GMR airport (GHIAL) relaxed a clause in its agreement with the Union government that prohibited the development of any other aerodrome within an aerial distance of 150 kilometres.
The relaxation of the clause — not the efforts of the Ministry of Civil Aviation or the state government — has led to the revival of the now defunct airport at Mamnoor.
However, there is a catch in GHIAL’s largesse. “The fact that GHIAL has given the government permission is a glaring example of how corporate entities wield power over sovereign governments,” senior journalist N Venugopal pointed out.
The GMR airport’s approval came even as a debate has been raging worldwide over whether politics was increasingly being influenced by corporate interests.
The development in Telangana has raised a pertinent question: How can a private company issue a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to a government ministry?
In its approval, GHIAL explicitly stated that the exemption applied only to Mamnoor Airport and cannot be considered a precedent for developing any other airport within a 150 km radius of Hyderabad International Airport.
The tone of the approval was almost condescending, as if GHIAL was the authority, and the government, its subordinate.
Venugopal traced the roots of this situation to 20 December 2004, when the UPA-I government signed a concession agreement with GHIAL.
This agreement granted GHIAL the right to develop, construct, operate, and maintain the Hyderabad International Airport.
Clause 5.2 of the 66-page agreement granted GHIAL exclusivity, prohibiting the development of any other airport within a 150 km aerial radius of Hyderabad International Airport.
Following the agreement, the state government allocated 5,000 acres, and the airport was constructed and inaugurated on 23 March 2008.
“By signing this agreement, the central government effectively surrendered its sovereign right to construct airports within 150 km of Hyderabad International Airport to GHIAL,” Venugopal said.
“The authority to develop land should belong to the people and their elected government. In this case, the government handed over its power to a corporate entity, rendering itself incapable of developing airports in Telangana,” he further stated.
“The only reason Mamnoor Airport is now being developed is that GHIAL has been ‘gracious enough’ to grant permission. There could hardly be a greater humiliation for a government, yet it seems oblivious to this reality,” the veteran journalist said.
“Since 2008, successive state governments have promised to build six more airports, fully aware that four of them fall within the 150-km restriction and the other two lack commercial viability,” he added.
Both the Congress-led government in the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh and the BRS government, which came to power after Telangana’s formation in 2014, repeatedly announced plans to build airports in Adilabad, Jakranpalli (Nizamabad), Gudibanda (Devarakadra, Mahabubnagar), Mamnoor (Warangal), Kothagudem (Khammam), and Basanthnagar (Peddapalli).
Venugopal said that among these proposed airports, Mamnoor is 130 km away, Gudibanda is 125 km, and Jakranpalli is 153 km from the Hyderabad International Airport.
Going by the agreement, Mamnoor and Gudibanda airports cannot be developed without GHIAL’s approval, and Jakranpalli, being only 3 km beyond the 150 km limit, could face legal challenges if its construction begins.
This leaves Adilabad, Basanthnagar, and Kothagudem as the only viable options, but doubts about air traffic demand cast a cloud of uncertainty over their development.
He said that since 2008, successive governments misled the public by promising airports in six locations, despite knowing these projects were unlikely to materialise.
Mamnoor was the only feasible option but is within the 150 km restriction. Now, with GHIAL’s NOC in hand, the central and state governments are finally moving forward.
“Interestingly, both the ruling Congress in Telangana and the BJP-led central government are vying with each other to claim credit for the Mamnoor Airport project. However, they are conveniently concealing the fact that it is only happening because GHIAL has granted permission,” Venugopal added.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
