Adani, foreign companies among 10 bidders for 6 airports including Mangaluru

coastaldigest.com web desk

February 17, 2019

India’s infrastructure major Adani Enterprise and private sector airport operator GMR Group are among the 10 entities that have submitted bids for six non-metro airports across the country for privatization. While the GMR already operates Delhi and Hyderabad airports, Adani Enterprise has been vying to enter the airport sector for some time now.

International Airports of Mangaluru, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Guwahati and Trivandrum were put on the block by government-owned Airports Authority of India on December 14, 2018.

The bidder quoting the highest per-passenger fee for domestic travellers will be awarded the rights to operate, manage and develop the six non-metro airports. The winning bids will be announced on February 28.

The other bidders are Autostrade from Italy, AMP Capital Investors (UK), Mauritius-based I Investments, Cochin International Airport (CIAL), Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC), National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), PNC Infrastructure and Sanna Enterprises.

“This is a positive response from bidders considering what happened in Mopa (Goa) and Navi Mumbai airports where there was not much interest,” Satyan Nayar, secretary general, Association of Private Airport Operators (APAO) said while adding that more bidders would have applied if the tender schedule was relaxed.

Fairfax India, which operates Bengaluru airport, and GVK, which handles Mumbai, did not sumbit a bid. All these airports are profit making facilities for the AAI and handle between 2.27 to 9.17 million passengers annually.

The government had privatised operations for Delhi and Mumbai on revenue sharing basis with AAI holding coming down to 26% stake. Under the current round of privatisation, the airports will be leased out for a period 50 years instead of 30 years in the last round. This will be the second round of airport privatisation in the country after Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru aerodromes were opened for private investment 12 years ago. Other AAI joint venture airports are Cochin, Nagpur and Kannur.

According to aviation consultancy firm CAPA India, investment to the tune of $45 billion will be required for airport expansion and construction in India by 2030, to keep pace with the projected passenger traffic growth. AAI presently operates 126 airports and civil enclaves across the country.

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QR-code tips power Mangaluru's major drug bust: 25 arrested in 2 weeks

News Network

December 16,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 16: The Mangaluru City police have significantly escalated their campaign against drug trafficking, arresting 25 individuals and booking 12 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act between November 30 and December 13. The crackdown resulted in the seizure of a substantial quantity of illicit substances, including 685.6 grams of MDMA and 1.5 kg of ganja.

The success of this recent drive has been significantly boosted by the city’s innovative, QR code-based anonymous reporting system.

"The anonymous reporting system has received an encouraging response. Several recent arrests were made based on inputs received through this system, helping police tighten the noose around drug peddlers," said the City Police Commissioner.

The latest arrests contribute to a robust year-to-date record, underscoring the police's relentless commitment to combating the drug menace.

Up to December 14 this year, the police have registered a total of 107 cases of drug peddling, leading to the arrest of 219 peddlers. Furthermore, they have booked 562 cases of drug consumption, resulting in the arrest of 671 individuals.

The scale of the seizure for the year reflects the magnitude of the problem being tackled: police have seized 320.6 kg of ganja worth ₹88.7 lakh and 1.4 kg of MDMA valued at ₹1.2 crore. Other significant seizures include hydro-weed ganja worth ₹94.7 lakh and cocaine worth ₹1.9 lakh, among others.

The Commissioner emphasized a policy of rigorous enforcement: "We ensure that peddlers are caught red-handed so that they cannot later dispute the case or claim innocence."

To counter the rising trend of substance abuse among youth, the Mangaluru City police have rolled out uniform guidelines for random drug testing across educational institutions.

As part of the drive, tests were conducted in approximately 100 institutions, screening an estimated 5,500 to 6,000 students in the first phase. 20 students tested positive for drug consumption during the initial screening.

Students who tested positive have been provided counselling and are scheduled for re-testing in the second quarter. The testing will also be expanded to students not covered in the first phase. In a move to ensure strict implementation, police personnel were deployed in mufti in some institutions. Reiterating a zero-tolerance stance, the Commissioner confirmed that random testing will continue, and colleges have also been instructed to conduct drug tests at the time of admission to deter substance abuse from an early stage.

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