With the Union Cabinet giving its nod for a case-by-case approval of greenfield airport projects within 150 km of existing ones, decks for the 5,000-crore greenfield Taj International Aviation Hub (TIAH) in Jewar, near Greater Noida, seem to have cleared.
The biggest hurdle confronting TIAH, one of the most ambitious project of chief minister Mayawati, was that it was within 70 kms of the Indira Gandhi International Airport.
Removing the hurdle, the new greenfield airport policy, cleared by the Union Cabinet on Thursday, has included a provision of examining the proposals for setting up greenfield airports within 150 km of an existing civilian airport, on a case-by-case basis.
Speaking to FE, Shailesh Krishna, principal secretary, civil aviation, UP government, said, ?We are now sure that the project will get a green signal as a specific case.? Stating that there was no need for a fresh proposal to be sent to the centre in this regard, he said the government would submit a new proposal only if the need arises.
However, the justification of the state government for seeking clearance for the project would remain the same. ?Delhi airport is already congested with virtually no possibility of any extension,? he said, adding that an Airports Authority of India study has stated that by 2015-16, estimated air traffic at the IGI Airport will hit the 108 million mark, which by any standard, would lead to severe air congestion. ?To offset this, a second airport in the form of TIAH is the answer to this problem.?
The TIAH expects to handle around 3.9 million passengers annually by 2011-12, or roughly one-fifth of the current traffic at the New Delhi airport, according to estimates by the state government. The proposal also seeks to derive a significant share of revenues through shopping malls, hotels, a cargo hub, an aviation academy and residential complexes as part of the airport project. The plan for Jewar airport – first conceptualised in 2001 by the then Mayawati government – requires acquisition of 1,500 hectares of land.
Going by the new aviation policy, the proposal to set up new Greenfield airports within 150 km of the existing ones would first be considered by a Steering Committee, that would take into account all relevant facts and contractual liabilities. The committee would then submit its recommendations to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, which would decide whether to grant approval to it or not. The Director General Civil Aviation would consider the proposal for grant of license only after the ministry’s approval.
According to a senior officer in the state industries department, the state government in its earlier communication to the Center, has already conveyed the government’s willingness to accept and abide by all the contractual agreements that may have been entered into by the Centre with the GMR group, promoters of Indira Gandhi International Airport.
?By doing so, the government has already ensured its responsibility in suitably preparing the bidding documents for the selection of the developer for the TIAH, so as to bind the developer to accept and abide by the contractual agreements of the GOI, Ministry of Civil Aviation and Promoters of Indira Gandhi International Airport?, claimed the official.
The TIAH project had been given a techno-feasibility approval way back in 2003. However, the Delhi airport was privatised last year and a Rs 8,900-crore modernisation plan is underway.