A major hurdle in the path of the proposed Navi Mumbai international airport has been cleared by the Union government. After repeated pleas from chief minister Ashok Chavan and former CM Vilasrao Deshmukh, the Centre has given a huge boost to the airport project by amending the 1991 notification of the Coastal Regulation Zone. The airport falls in CRZ I, II and III and the project will require filling up of a creek and felling of mangroves. The project will be implemented by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) and a private developer. Cidco, which will develop the airport, expects the MoEF to place a few conditions and ask it to compensate for the mangroves that will be displaced during the airport’s construction. CM Chavan said the decision was conveyed to the state government on Monday. “I have been constantly pursuing this issue with the Prime Minister’s Office. I thank the PM.’’ Chavan said the decision was taken sometime ago and was announced on Monday as the model code of conduct was relaxed. The urban development department is now thinking of connecting the two airports at Panvel and Mumbai by a metro rail and other modes of transport. The capacity of the existing airport at Santa Cruz will be saturated in 4-5 years and it has no scope for expansion. Passenger traffic is growing at an average 25% annually and more than 37 million passengers are projected to use the current airport by 2010. Cidco has 74% of the land and the rest is occupied by villages and hamlets. It is yet to be acquired by the Raigad district collectorate.
The government has laid down a timebased plan for the airport project. Cidco has already received an interim project report from the consultants
Aug 30, ’09 Submission of the final report by the consultants, Louis Berger, to Cidco, which is implementing the Navi Mumbai airport project
Sep 30, ’09 Commencement of the process to select the developer. Cidco expects to get a good response despite the economic slowdown
Mar 31, ’10 Selection of developer. Civil aviation ministry sources say GVK, the company that runs the Mumbai airport, will get preference
Apr-May ’10 Laying of the foundation stone. Sources close to chief minister Ashok Chavan had said he wanted to invite Manmohan Singh for this purpose
Sep-Oct ’13 Commencement of services at the airport. In the first year, the airport will handle 10 million passengers and 40 million by 2030
Area: 1,140 hectares
Cost: Rs 9,000 crore
Number of runways: 2
Cidco has 76% of the required land with it; the remaining 24% has to be acquired through the Raigad district administration. The course of two rivers, Ulwe and Gadhi, will be changed and embankments will be constructed for three rivers—Kusadi, Kalundri and Taloja. Waghivli island will have to reclaimed for the airport. Two hills will have to be flattened . Cidco will have 26% equity in the project and the main investment will be in the form of land.
CRZ rules stipulate that no construction can happen within 500 m of the coastline. The government, to facilitate the construction of the airport, exempted the project from CRZ rules. Nearly 150 hectares of mangroves have to be cut for the project and a joint secretary in the ministry of environment and forests was said to be against this. Most officials in the state government said this bureaucrat made out a case against the airport even though Vilasrao Deshmukh and Ashok Chavan tried to push the project ahead
The government has laid down a timebased plan for the airport project. Cidco has already received an interim project report from the consultants
Aug 30, ’09 Submission of the final report by the consultants, Louis Berger, to Cidco, which is implementing the Navi Mumbai airport project
Sep 30, ’09 Commencement of the process to select the developer. Cidco expects to get a good response despite the economic slowdown
Mar 31, ’10 Selection of developer. Civil aviation ministry sources say GVK, the company that runs the Mumbai airport, will get preference
Apr-May ’10 Laying of the foundation stone. Sources close to chief minister Ashok Chavan had said he wanted to invite Manmohan Singh for this purpose
Sep-Oct ’13 Commencement of services at the airport. In the first year, the airport will handle 10 million passengers and 40 million by 2030
Area: 1,140 hectares
Cost: Rs 9,000 crore
Number of runways: 2
Cidco has 76% of the required land with it; the remaining 24% has to be acquired through the Raigad district administration. The course of two rivers, Ulwe and Gadhi, will be changed and embankments will be constructed for three rivers—Kusadi, Kalundri and Taloja. Waghivli island will have to reclaimed for the airport. Two hills will have to be flattened . Cidco will have 26% equity in the project and the main investment will be in the form of land.
CRZ rules stipulate that no construction can happen within 500 m of the coastline. The government, to facilitate the construction of the airport, exempted the project from CRZ rules. Nearly 150 hectares of mangroves have to be cut for the project and a joint secretary in the ministry of environment and forests was said to be against this. Most officials in the state government said this bureaucrat made out a case against the airport even though Vilasrao Deshmukh and Ashok Chavan tried to push the project ahead
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Where is NMMC investing public taxes – take a look at all the work approved at the weekly NMMC standing committee
When you pay your taxes to NMMC, it is spent for your amenities, facilities and making quality of life better in your neighborhood. NMMC Standing Committee and General Body meetings are specifically for those of you who want to know how you’re hard earned taxes are being spent. Deliberations and the work that will be carried out in the city after this week’s Standing Committee meet.
Another significant proposal to be taken up during the meeting were the audit reports of departmental work for the years 1997 – 98, 2001 – 02, 2003 – 04 and 2004 – 05 that were earlier sent to the Commissioner for compliance. Standing Committee Chairman Sandeep Naik gave details of this proposal.
major project of Children's Park worth Rs 52 crore and other civic work worth Rs 20 crore are approved
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Standing Committee Chairman Sandeep Naik denied all the allegations and said, "All corporators are unanimously approving all civic tender proposals, because corporation election will be held next year, and all of them will be answerable to the public.
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