The exorbitant cost needed for it and a difficult-to-come-by environmental clearance can make the project a non-starter, at least in the near future.
The state government may be pushing for the development of the Juhu airport in a big way, but the exorbitant cost needed for it and a difficult-to-come-by environmental clearance can make the project a non-starter, at least in the near future.
The plan was first proposed in 2010 with the aim of easing traffic at the Mumbai airport, which has turned into one of the busiest in Asia over the years. It currently handles helicopters, including those of certain government firms like ONGC, and light aircraft. The government plans to extend the runway into the sea to allow landing of larger aircraft.
Senior officials attribute the over Rs2,000 crore investment needed for its development as the biggest hurdle. “Even if the public-private-partnership (PPP) is brought in, the operation should be economically viable which, going by the current plan, does not seem so,” said a senior Airport Authority of India official.
Environment clearance also threatens to stall the ambitious project. Sources claim that the government may bring about amendments in civic records from decades ago according to which the area has been declared a green zone. Surprisingly, it chose to turn a blind eye to the fact that an airport has existed on the spot since 1928.
“It was a gross error on part of the civic authorities to have overlooked the airport’s existence, a mistake that needs to be corrected before further clearance from the ministry of environment and forest can come by,” said another senior official.
M Yadagiri, director of Juhu airport, said, “I cannot comment on the issue as the decision is taken by several top authorities.” Meanwhile, civil aviation minister Ajit Singh has formed a high-powered panel with members from the state and the civil aviation ministry to look into issues concerning the aviation sector in Maharashtra.
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