Navi Mumbai: The City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) plans to resume the stalled construction of the Navi Mumbai airport after the FIFA U-17 World Cup is over.
“The Navi Mumbai police are currently busy with the World Cup bandobast, hence we are waiting for that to get over. After the last match on July 25, we will resume the work with police protection,” CIDCO PRO Mohan Ninawe said.
On October 20, thousands of villagers had stalled the work at the airport site.
The project-affected people have threatened to protest if the work resumes without CIDCO fulfilling its promises.
“We will protest on a larger scale, similar to the agitation against CIDCO in 1984,” said Chinchpada resident Sachin Keni.
The villagers will meet CIDCO MD Bhushan Gagrani on October 27 to discuss their issues. “If CIDCO resumes the work before the meeting, we will give them a reply in our style,” Rajendra Patil, another project-affected person, said.
The villagers have demanded more financial aid to construct homes at the land where they are to be rehabilitated. They also want CIDCO to provide facilities like schools, a crematorium and temples that they were promised. Many villagers have also complained about cracks that have developed in their homes due to the blasting work.
