Defence min agrees to fully operate INS Dega airport: Reddy

Visakhapatnam: Defence ministry has agreed to fully operate the Naval airport, INS Dega, here from March 1.

"Defence ministry has given its in-principle nod to run the airport. Initially, the ministry will manage the airport for 24 hours for three days and extend its operation further depending on traffic demand," Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment and Forests T Subbarami Reddy said. Once fully operational, the facility will cater to fliers from north coastal Andhra Pradesh. At present, the airport which is under Navy, is operational only for 12 hours a day and there is an increasing demand for extending flying hours in both civil and military spheres. Meanwhile, Reddy said a massive campaign, involving local public and private sector units, will be rolled out in the next five years to plant 40 lakh trees to make Visakhapatnam a green city. "The drive is expected to cost around Rs 650 crore, which will be borne by industries as part of corporate social responsibility," he said. PTI