Fifty years ago, the Juhu airport was declared a green zone in spite of it being home to India’s first civil aviation airport.
Fifty years ago, the Juhu airport was declared a green zone in spite of it being home to India’s first civil aviation airport. Now, in an attempt to cover up the blunder, the state government has suggested that the Juhu airport authorities construct a road across the airport so the land use of the area can be changed accordingly.
“We had a meeting with the state government authorities to discuss this issue. During the discussion, they suggested that we construct a road across the airport,” said a senior official from the Juhu airport.
The airport now handles all helicopter operations out of Mumbai. It also hosts several executive and light aircraft and gliders.
The state government, during the preparation of the development plan decades ago, had erroneously declared the area a green zone, although the airport has existed there since 1928. In 1932, legendary Tata scion JRD Tata had landed at the Juhu aerodrome, inaugurating India’s first scheduled commercial mail service from Karachi.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI), which runs the airport, says that this error is now coming in the way of plans to develop the airport. The state government is pushing for this development so that a section of traffic from the Mumbai airport can be diverted there to ease air traffic congestion.
As per the proposed plan, the runway is expected to be extended into the sea through Juhu beach. The project is expected to cost over Rs2,000 crore.
When contacted, M Yadagiri, the director of Juhu airport, said, “The matter is being taken to the highest level so that the required changes in the land records can be made. The state government has suggested that a road be constructed.”
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