The Maharashtra government is willing to change the plan of the proposed Navi Mumbai international airport site as per the recommendations of the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC). It has submitted all the compliance measures to the committee.
“We are willing to shift the commercial area too,” T.C. Benjamin, Principal Secretary, Urban Development Department, told The Hindu here on Friday. He was referring to the EAC's suggestion that the commercial complex be relocated to save a large area of mangroves.
But, a senior State official said though the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Limited had shifted the commercial complex, “it has not been fully changed as per the MoEF [Ministry of Environment and Forests] recommendations.”
Mr. Benjamin said the State was willing to take all possible steps to preserve the environment on that location. “We are doing whatever is possible without compromising the aeronautical safety,” he said.
On the compliance measures, he said, “We have sent them [the EAC] the maps of the airport site as per their specifications. We have also sent a study on the noise levels.”
Meanwhile, Tanaji Satre, officiating Managing Director, CIDCO, told The Hindu: “We have studied the recommendations of the expert committee in detail and have provided all the requisite information to them regarding the same.” But he refused to divulge any further details. “It would not be appropriate to talk about this before the meeting on September 22.” The EAC meeting will be held in New Delhi on September 22.
