Bengal Aerotropolis update

Promoters of the airport city at Andal near Durgapur have given up the quest for the final tranche of land that was yet to be acquired and decided to accommodate the ambitious project in an area that is 144 acre short of the original plan. A senior official of project promoter Bengal Aerotropolis Pvt Ltd (BAPL) said the decision to make do with 2,201 acre that had been acquired was taken at a crucial board meeting on June 28. Apart from the BAPL top brass, honchos of copromoter Changi Airports Singapore were also present. The decision has been conveyed to the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC). Last week, senior BAPL officials met industries minister Partha Chatterjee and apprised him of the latest development. Not only does the development remove the biggest stumbling block in the way of the Rs 10,000-crore project, it is also poised to become the showcase project of the Mamata Banerjee government, when the airport takes off in September 2012. “Given the present political dispensation, we decided to be pragmatic and take the project forward. Though the project has to be modified to accommodate all components within the curtailed area, there was no other option, given the state government’s outlook on acquisition. Now that we have removed the hurdle, the project will be able to move ahead full steam,” said BAPL director Partha Ghosh. An objection by Coal India that had surfaced in the initial days of the project was resolved after a realignment. Land acquisition for the project began just days after Tata Motors announced its pullout from Singur, following massive protests by the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress against forced farmland acquisition. It proceeded smoothly till the final parcel situated along National Highway-2. Around 450-odd farmers who held 144 acre refused to part with it at the promised price, demanding higher compensation for the prime location. The toughest part of the decision was to explain the situation to Changi Airports CEO Lim Liang Song, deputy CEO Eugene Gan and principal advisor Wong Woon Leong as the company had come on board, acquiring 26% stake when the project size was 2,345 acre spread over 11 moujas. Though, overseas investors get edgy when confronted with changes in commitments, Changi Airports being a government-owned company, did not wish to be embroiled in any controversy and agreed to the compromise. The trio visited the site on June 29 to assess the impact. While the airport does not get affected, the rest of the project will have to be squeezed into the revised site area. The worst affected with be the frontage next to the highway. The project will have to make do with a six lane main arterial road linking NH 2 to the airport and build its frontage on the land facing this road. The other components — industrial park, IT park, residential and entertainment — will share the impact. “There will be a financial impact as well. But it will not dampen the project progress or impact the financing by the six bank consortium,” Ghosh said. He also informed that the revised land plan had been sent to master planners Townland Consultants of Hong Kong. The new plan should arrive in a month-and-a-half. Thereafter, infrastructure development-—connections for drainage, sewage, water, electricity—will begin in full swing. “The timeline for the project remains the same. Airport construction will be completed next June and it will be operational in August. The rest of the project will be completed in three years,” Ghosh said. Foundation work is already underway on the air strip and construction of the terminal is set to begin soon. Meanwhile, unwilling land owners expressed delight at the company’s decision and claimed it was another victory on the lines of Singur. “We are glad that our land was not grabbed,” said Jibon Roy of Andal More. Ashok Ganguly of Andal village echoed his sentiments. “I wanted more price for my land. Since the company did not oblige, I am happy that I got to retain my land,” he said. At the other end of the spectrum, the development has been welcomed by those who had willingly sold their land as they feared a stalemate on the lines of Singur. Nripen Bakhsi of Khandra village, who received Rs 17 lakh for his land, articulated the anxiety. “We did not want the project to get derailed as it will lead to development of the entire locality,” he added.