Chakan airport update

Almost six months after the state cabinet gave its nod to the Rs 200-crore seed money for the proposed international airport near Chakan, the agency implementing the project — the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) — has yet to receive the money. The seed money is critical for the appointment of a project consultant and acquisition of the project land that is spread over 3,300 hectares covering seven villages near Chakan. MADC general manager (airports) Ramesh Yaul said, “The land acquisition process will begin only when we get the seed money from the government. This has not happened so far.” The MADC — a special purpose vehicle (SPV) initially raised for the multi-modal hub for international cargo and airport at Nagpur (Mihan) — came in the picture in May last year when the government decided to transfer the airport project from its infrastructure development agency, the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), to MADC. The MIDC had till then notified 2,565 hectares of land near Chakan and shortlisted two agencies for the techno-economic feasibility study and topographic survey and investigation, to facilitate the appointment of a project consultant.
THE STATUS • State yet to release the ‘promised’ Rs 200-crore seed money to MADC • Won’t start with land acquisition unless we get money, says MADC • Acquisition process after MADC submits proposal: collector • Project consultant yet to be appointed .
Based on MIDC’s proposal, Pune’s district collector had also started the process for acquiring land in the seven villages — Chandus, Shiroli, Waki-Budruk, Koregaon-Budruk, Kiwale, Pimpri Thakur and Wadgaon. Following the handover to the MADC, the entire cycle had to begin afresh, starting with the appointment of a consultant to fresh notification of land (since revised to 3,300 hectares as per MADC’s preliminary report filed in July last year) and eventual implementation. The project will also have to secure fresh clearances from the Union ministries of civil aviation, defence, environment and forest besides the director general of civil aviation. “Unless we appoint a consultant and get all the technical matters examined through the consultant’s report, we cannot seek these fresh clearances,” said Yaul. According to Yaul, six companies have filed their bids for the consultancy work that involves planning, designing, supervision and execution of the airport project. “We had certain technical clarifications to seek from these six bidders and they have been given time till September 2 to furnish the same. It will take a fortnight thereafter for the MADC board of directors to go through the bids and eventually finalise the project consultant,” he said.
State finance minister Dilip Walse-Patil said that his department had no further role in the release of the seed money to MADC after the proposal for the same was cleared by the state cabinet in February. GAD’s secretary of civil aviation Sudhir Thakre, who is in charge of the matter, said “We have already released Rs 20 crore to the MADC in March. Another Rs 80 crore is being released soon. The money we are releasing is primarily for the land acquisition. The GAD also needed to be convinced that all the necessary groundwork for land acquisition has been done.”
THE TALE SO FAR
April 2001: State government appoints consultants Rites Limited for a site selection study for the proposed Pune international airport project.
December 2001: Services of Airports Authority of India (AAI) drafted for site survey.
June 2002: AAI recommends Chakan, 45 km from Pune off the Nashik highway, as a suitable site. MIDC notifies 800 hectares land at Chakan for acquisition. Gets almost every other clearance for the project, which was to have a single runway.
September 2005: The Chakan project is scrapped after director general of civil aviation insists on following International Civil Aviation Organisation’s two-runway norm and the ministry of defence declaring the proposed site as ‘not suitable’ for operational reasons.
November 2006: Following a fresh site selection exercise, AAI identifies Shiroli-Chandus, about 6 km ahead of Chakan, as the alternative site — now referred as New Chakan. MIDC notifies 2,565 ha land covering seven villages at the new site.
September 2007: MIDC invites tenders for carrying out a techno-economic feasibility study (TEFS) and a topographic survey and investigation (TSI) to facilitate appointment of consultant for the project.
January 2008: MIDC shortlists two agencies for the TEFS and TSI work.
May 2008: Project is transferred from MIDC to MADC.
July 2008: MADC submits its preliminary report to the government enlisting its land acquisition requirement and seeking Rs 200 crore seed money.
February 2009: State cabinet clears the proposal of Rs 200 crore seed money for MADC.