Jayant Sinha steps in to speed up Navi Mumbai airport

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, April 22

The Maharashtra government roped Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha earlier this week to speed up environment-related approvals for the construction of the new airport at Navi Mumbai.

According to sources at the City Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), which administers Navi Mumbai, the state government got Sinha to pay a visit to the site of the proposed airport and push for the relevant clearances at the Union Environment Ministry.

“The minister undertook an aerial survey earlier this week and by Friday, the Stage 2 clearance from the Union Environment Ministry was received,” a CIDCO official told this reporter. The permission from the Centre was required to flatten the Ulwe hill and divert the river of the same name before the land for the airport is handed over to the contractor who won the bid to construct the new facility.

CIDCO officials say work on the hill cutting and filling of land to divert the Ulwe river will start right away and be completed in 18-24 months. Construction of the runways, buildings and other supporting infrastructure will begin sumultaneously so that the airport is ready by the December 2019 deadline, CIDCO officials said.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ cabinet is expected to meet next week and formally award the construction of the airport to the GVK-led Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) which won the bid build the new facility. The company won the bid after it offered to share 12.6 per cent of revenues to CIDCO.

Officials at the agency say they are already in the process of fulfilling the conditions laid down by the MoEF and are planting mangroves in 272 hectares of land to compensate for the greenery lost to the airport.