Prime minister Manmohan Singh chaired a meeting in Delhi on Wednesday to fast-track key infrastructure projects of Maharashtra. He gave the go-ahead to the new airports at Pune and Navi Mumbai while the one in Nagpur would be expanded.
“The present Pune Airport belongs to IAF and the civilian airport operates through a civil enclave. Given the traffic projections at Pune, there is an urgent need to build a new Green Field Airport. After discussing different options, it was decided that a new international airport would be developed for Pune at Khed. The Pune International Airport Project would be lead managed by the Airports Authority of India,” a PMO statement said.
The meeting discussed key infrastructure projects in Maharashtra which needed to be fast-tracked so that infrastructure in Mumbai and other major cities of the state remain in the forefront of development,” the statement added.
It was decided to award the construction of Navi Mumbai International Airport Project by March 31. The airport project has received clearances from many central and state agencies.
“Most of these key mega projects have been staggering for the past several years because of technical issues and delay in approval by the central government departments. We urged the Centre to issue the clearance certificates as early as possible,” said a senior government official who was part of the delegation.
“We requested the PM to declare the Rs9,630 crore trans-harbour link as a ‘national project’ and provide substantial financial assistance to this project. The project involving a distance of 22km would help seamless and speedy link from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai, Pune, Goa and south India,” he said.
The Churchgate–Virar elevated rail corridor, the MTHL, the shifting of the doppler radar, the Metro Corridor-III Colaba-Bandra SEEPZ, the salt pan lands, and the Dr BR Ambedkar memorial at the Indu Mills compound too were discussed. The meeting was attended by Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan, Union minister Sharad Pawar, finance minister P Chidambaram and the planning commission deputy chairman.
Land needed
1,268 hectares of land needed for Pune airport project.
750 hectares of land, which is part of Khed SEZ, to be used
Remaining approx 500 hectares to be acquired from farmers
The airport will have two parallel independent runways
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