An airport obstacle limitation surface (OLS) survey for the proposed Jewar international airport in Greater Noida is expected to begin from May 15. The survey is mandatory before commencement of work on an international airport.
Month-long survey
Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) CEO Arunvir Singh said that a RITES team had visited its office in this regard. “The survey will begin from May 15 and continue till June 15,” Mr. Singh said.
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Asked about the future course of action, Mr. Singh said, “The OLS report will be submitted to the Civil Aviation Ministry. If all goes well, the Ministry will announce or give approval to the project.”
YEIDA officials said that the survey is conducted by determining the corners and midpoints of runway strips. “An inclinometer (a slope indicator) is required to calculate the slope. The slope itself is determined according to the regulations applicable in a country. Civil aviation and international airport will then be able to use the OLS survey mobile app to record observations, including photos for each location,” said officials.
Last month, the Uttar Pradesh government under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had started work on the Jewar airport and written to the Civil Aviation Ministry, asking for a technical evaluation of the proposed site to be conducted.
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Jewar airport is expected to ease the load on the Indira Gandhi International Airport.
A proposal in this regard was initiated in 2001 when Home Minister Rajnath Singh was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh. His successor, Mayawati, had backed the plan and acquired more than 2,000 acres for the project.
The UPA government at the Centre had then formed a group of Ministers to decide on the project, which allegedly violated the policy of not building another airport within 150 km of the existing one in Delhi. The plan was revived after Mahesh Sharma, who represents Noida in the Lok Sabha, became MoS for Civil Aviation. Mr. Sharma was later replaced by Jayant Sinha.