"Though there is still no clarity regarding the functionality of the proposed airport, work on formation of a team that will set up the air traffic management infrastructure is on," said a senior AAI official.
It seems the proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) project is moving, at least on paper. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has started putting together a team that will be tasked with air traffic management at the proposed airport.
"Though there is still no clarity regarding the functionality of the proposed airport, work on formation of a team that will set up the air traffic management infrastructure is on," said a senior AAI official.
The AAI manages most of the civil aviation airports in India and also the air traffic management of the privately held ones, namely Mumbai and Delhi.
The air traffic infrastructure includes setting up of an Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower and a building that can have related equipment, apart from laying of cables.
According to government officials, despite the NMIA project being first conceptualised way back in 1970s, it was unable to move ahead due to protracted negotiations with farmers over land issues. The farmers wanted a compensation of Rs20 crore per hectare, or 35% of the land back as a developed plot. However, the government was unwilling to offer more than 22.5%.
The situation improved in late 2014, the state and farmers from Ulwe village near Panvel in Navi Mumbai reached an agreement on the compensation package. The government had agreed to give 22.5% land back to farmers as developed plots out of the land acquired from them.
"Land issues have already raised the projected cost," said an NMIA official. The present projected cost stands at more than Rs14,500 crore. It has increased from the original budget expected at Rs8,000 crore way back in 2008.
The government has now given security clearance to three parties who bid for RFQ (request for qualification) for the construction of the airport. The state claims that the first flight is targeted to take off in 2019.
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