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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Green signal for Navi Mumbai airport

Green signal for Navi Mumbai airport

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published Published on Nov 22, 2010   modified Modified on Nov 22, 2010

The Navi Mumbai airport has finally got the green signal, with a compromise being worked out after one and a half years of tussling between the Environment Ministry on the one hand, and the Civil Aviation Ministry and the Maharashtra government on the other.

The decision was announced jointly on Monday by Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, his Civil Aviation counterpart Praful Patel and the new Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan.

While the environment clearance will allow the project to begin, it includes 32 conditions, including the development of 615 hectares of mangrove parks before the airport becomes operational, the rehabilitation of 3,000 families, and a contingency plan to prevent flooding.

However, the Environment Ministry gave in on key demands to safeguard the existing 161 hectares of mangroves. Under the compromise plan, 98 hectares of what the Ministry now calls low quality mangrove forest, will be lost forever, while only 63 hectares of the old mangroves will be saved.

Also, a 90 metre hill – that has already been mined extensively – will be destroyed, and the Ulwe tidal river will be diverted.

With the growing demand for a second airport to cope with Mumbai's air traffic, and an inability to identify a suitable alternative location, there was no other option but to compromise on these issues, said Mr. Ramesh.

“Instead of going back to the drawing board and adding at least 2-3 years more to the assessment and land acquisition process, I decided to accept the fait accompli in good faith and to ensure that the environmental concerns are fully addressed,” he said. “We bargained, negotiated and compromised. All of us have compromised.”

On its part, the Civil Aviation Ministry agreed to reduce the distance between the parallel runways in order to prevent the diversion of the Gadhi river, while non-essential facilities are being shifted to ensure space for the mangrove parks. It will also ensure that 615 hectares of mangroves are developed before the airport begins operations.

The next step is for the State government to apply to the Environment Ministry for a forest clearance and get permission to cut mangroves from the Bombay High Court.

The bidding process will begin soon and contracts will be awarded within 8 to 12 months, said Mr. Chavan, adding that 436 hectares of land still need to be acquired. The project would be completed in four phases, he said.

However, Mr. Patel urged that the project be finished in two phases, with a deadline of 2014-15 for the first phase, due to the acute capacity crunch at the existing airport.

The Navi Mumbai airport is expected to handle 10 million passengers in its first operational year, with a goal of handling 40 million passengers by 2030.


The Hindu, 23 November, 2010, http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article906344.ece


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