Ministry asks Maharashtra government for removal plan on slums near airport

Security at city airport has been beefed up following an alert issued by the state intelligence department warning that terrorists could take shelter in the slums surrounding the airport.

Mumbai Police sources said the slums are being scanned for any suspicious element, who could pose a danger to the airport.

The development comes after the civil aviation ministry asked the Maharashtra government recently to implement a concrete plan of removal and rehabilitation of slum dwellers around the airport.

Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), run by a consortium led by GVK, is already into litigation with real estate developer HDIL over construction and rehabilitation of a section of slum dwellers.

CSIA, which can handle over 40 million passengers annually, is said to be constantly on terrorists' radar, considering the dense cluster of slums enveloping the premises, leaving it vulnerable. Ministry sources said authorities are apprehensive of a Karachi airport-like terror attack and, hence, want the state government to come up with a plan urgently.

Sources added that besides security reasons, the airport operator needs the space cleared of slums for development purpose. Sources in MIAL said during the handing over of charge, the government had promised that it would make the land available to them for development. "But due to vote bank politics, the assurances remain merely on paper," said a MIAL official.

However, state government officials said they don't expect things to move, at least in the near future, due to the upcoming state assembly elections, as any move to remove the slums might have a negative impact on government's electoral returns, considering the fact that the slum dwellers form a large pie of voters.

Admitting that he has received a letter from the Union minister for civil aviation, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said, "Yes, there is a threat, but I would not spell out anything about it as it is not proper on my part to discuss it in public. The civil aviation minister has suggested rehabilitation of the slum dwellers living near the airport, and we will act on it."