June target for inviting new Navi Mumbai airport tenders

The state government has set June-end as the target for starting the tender procedure for the Navi Mumbai airport.

The tenders will be for the appointment of a consultant and strategic partner who could shoulder the responsibility of the airport’s construction.

“Pre-tender procedures are being completed with a target of inviting tenders by June-end. The company will shoulder the responsibility of cutting the hills, diversion of the river, levelling the land before the actual construction starts,” a Mantralaya official said.

He added that getting permissions from the Union forest department will take some time. “Before approaching the Centre for permission, the compensatory land, in lieu of the forest land we are using for the project, is to be identified. Acquisition and rehabilitation, too, will take some more time,” he said.

An official from the City Industrial and Development Corporation (Cidco) said that procedures for handing over government land and acquisition of land from residents have been initiated.

The new target set for the completion of the first phase is 2013-end or early-2014. However, according to experts, the first phase will take at least four years to complete at a cost of Rs4,000 crore.

“Even after completing the first phase, a final nod is needed from the central government. The first take-off would not be possible before 2015,” the official said.