The Navi Mumbai airport project seems all set to finally clear the green hurdle with environment minister Jairam Ramesh expressing satisfaction with the crucial design changes that the Maharashtra government has agreed to make in a bid to minimise the environmental impact.

?From what I have heard, the Maharashtra government has agreed to make certain changes in the project design to address environmental concerns. That is an encouraging sign and should pave the way for an early clearance to the airport project,? Ramesh said.

Ramesh said he had already spoken to his Cabinet colleague, civil aviation minister Praful Patel, and appreciated the measures being taken to minimise the environmental impact at the site.

Earlier in the week, the Maharashtra government had agreed to shift the airport site a little towards the south and also to reduce the distance between the two runways from 1.8 km as originally proposed to 1.5 km. This was done on the advice of project consultants Louis Berger, which had reported that the changes suggested by the environment ministry were doable without affecting the efficiency of the airport.

The proposed design changes will ensure that most of the mangroves near the project site will be saved from destruction. It will also mean that at least one of the two rivers near the site, Gadhi, would not need to be diverted. Together, these two would substantially address the concerns of the environment ministry which has also objected to the diversion of the other river, Ulwe, as well as the flattening of a 90-m hillock because of the construction.

?This is not the ideal situation as far as we are concerned. We are still pushing for measures that would prevent the diversion of the Ulwe river as well. But we understand the compelling need for an airport at Navi Mumbai. A compromise is what we have to settle for and in the given circumstances we are happy that at least the most pressing concerns are being met,? Ramesh said.

The environmental clearance to the project, however, has to come from the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC)?the permanent panel in the Environment Ministry that decides on approvals to infrastructure projects.

Project developer Cidco (City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra) is expected to submit the proposed design changes to the EAC by next week. The EAC is scheduled to make a site visit to Navi Mumbai on October 21 and 22, during which it will also hold a meeting to consider the design changes.