Construction work on the proposed Navi Mumbai airport is set to begin within three months with the ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) according clearance to the project site.
The projects initial investment cost has been estimated at Rs 10,000 crore. Around 25% of the 2,750 acres that make up the finalised land for the airport falls in coastal regulation zone 1 (CRZ) land?in the median area of coastal high and low tide. This land is not allowed to be developed as per section 3(1) and section 3(2)(v) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and rule 5(3)(d) of the Environment (Protection) Rules, 1986 which declares coastal stretches as coastal regulation zones (CRZ) and regulates activities in such places.
All land in this category falls under the jurisdiction of the national coastal zone management authority (NCZMA). The authority cleared the Navi Mumbai land at its October 30 meeting by amending the concerned notification as no other suitable for the project could be found near Mumbai, a ministry of civil aviation official said. Once the notification is officially amended, which should be within the next three months, the project can officially start, the sources added.
Simultaneously, Pune-based Central Water and Power Research Institute (CWPRI), along with a team from IIT, are devising mitigation measures to take care of any environmental concerns.
CIDCO has already accepted bids for a consultant to prepare a comprehensive master plan and a detailed project report (DPR) within 10 weeks. The report would cover planning to selection of strategic partner through public bidding process. ?This should take another three months as well,? the official said. The consultant also has to prepare documents to establish the project?s technical and financial viability as well as documents to facilitate investments and lending for the project.
The Tata-CAI consortium, the Reliance brothers as well as the GVK and GMR consortiums, which control the Mumbai and Delhi airports, respectively, and the Videocon group have expressed interests in the Navi Mumbai airport project.
