Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will look into the delay in the proposed international airport at Navi Mumbai stuck due to environmental issues. On Monday, South Mumbai MP Milind Deora led a delegation of MPs from Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra to meet Dr. Singh and apprise him about the need to expedite environmental clearance for the airport.
Talking to The Hindu over phone, Mr. Deora said the Prime Minister was shocked that there was no environmental clearance for the project as yet. He said he had cleared the proposal for a new airport more than a year ago. He assured the delegation that he would look into the matter immediately. The MPs told the Prime Minister about the need to expedite the project, and expressed concern about the cost over runs.
Mr. Deora said he had convened a new group called the Forum of MMRDA (Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority) [for] Parliamentarians to take up issues related to the development of Mumbai and the surrounding region and expedite infrastructure projects. While he is the convener, Sanjeev Naik, MP from Navi Mumbai is the co-convenor. Other members of the delegation included Supriya Sule, Union Minister of State Pratik Patil and MPs from the Shiv Sena as well.
“We need environmental clearance for the new airport quickly as it is a critical project for the city which will help in decongesting the present airport and also pave the way for other related projects. The State government is ready for the project but the Centre has to ensure that it gives clearance,” Mr. Deora said. The forum plans to wait for a few weeks to see if there is a development before it follows up on this demand.
Mr. Deora said if there were some environmental clearance conditions for the new airport, the forum could also act as a pressure group to ensure that these norms were adhered to, by the developing authority. Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan too has been following up on the airport and other issues with the Union Environment Minister.
Union Minister for Civil Aviation Praful Patel recently said there was no possibility of an alternative site for the proposed airport. The proposed site at Navi Mumbai is an ecologically sensitive area with 161.5 hectares of mangroves. The project also involves diversion of two rivers and levelling of a 90 m. high hillock.
