Green panel clears revised Navi Mumbai airport plan

11 Nov 2010 Evaluate

A second airport for Mumbai is closer to reality as an environment panel approved a revised proposal for an airport in Navi Mumbai submitted by its developer, the state government-owned City Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco). The expert appraisal committee (EAC) has given its nod to the project subject to conditions like shifting the non-aeronautical side of the airport to the other side and planting mangroves in lieu of whatever would be destroyed, according to spokesperson of the civil aviation ministry. The committee will soon submit its report to environment minister Jairam Ramesh who will take a final call on the matter.

The environment and civil aviation ministries had been at loggerheads over the airport project. However, with both the ministries reaching a compromise formula late last month on a host of environmental issues, the project, which aims at meeting the increasing air traffic needs of the financial hub of the country, is set to take off soon.

As desired by the green panel, Cidco agreed that the airport site would not be changed, but the location of non-aeronautical activities like hotels and shops will be shifted. This would be done to ensure that there is minimum damage to the 400 acres of mangroves and some hillocks in the area and to ensure two rivers the Ulwe and the Gadhi are not diverted. The Ulwe will flow beneath the airport site as proposed by Cidco. Cidco also agreed to reduce the distance between two runways from 1,835 metres to 1,500 metres.

The airport is expected to handle 10 million passengers in its first operational year, doubling to 20 million in eight years. The aim is that the airport would have a handling capacity of 40 million passengers by 2030.