Greenfield airport near Mumbai by 2012

The proposed second airport near Mumbai would come up by 2012 at an estimated cost of about Rs 4,000 crore and would have a capacity to handle nearly 55 million passengers annually.

The greenfield airport, which is likely to come up at Copra-Panvel area, would be built through public-private partnership with private sector partner getting 74 per cent equity and the remaining retained by Airports Authority of India, Maharashtra government and its City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO).

"We hope to start and complete the bidding process in 2007. The land required is about 1,140 hectares for the core airport activity and the estimated cost will be between Rs 3,200 crore and Rs 4,000 crore", Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel told reporters after a meeting with Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh here.

Deshmukh said the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) had already given techno-feasibility clearance to the Navi Mumbai airport.

The two leaders also reviewed the situation relating to the development of Nagpur airport as a national multi-modal hub to cater to domestic cargo and passenger traffic.

Patel said additional land and infrastructure was required to expand the Nagpur airport for this purpose and an MoU would shortly be signed between Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) and AAI.

"Work will begin in the next few months once all the required processes were complete", he said.

Regarding objections raised to the Nagpur cargo hub project by the defence authorities, Patel said an alternative site was proposed to be given to meet defence requirements. The defence authorities would shift to the new area in a phased programme and vacate the existing portion.

To questions on shifting of people living in slums around the existing Mumbai airport, Deshmukh said a rehabilitation proposal was being prepared to shift about 50,000 people. An alternative site has to be allocated for the purpose and houses constructed for them to shift.

On the new airport at Navi Mumbai, Patel and Deshmukh said they assessed the issues concerning land availability, cost of land, sharing of land cost and other issues.

"We want the airport to be built by 2012 and not later than that. At least the first phase should be over by then", Patel said.

Later a senior CIDCO official said while 1,140 hectares would be required for core airport activity at the new airport, another 470 hectares would be needed for city-side development.

Of the total 1,616 hectares, 55 per cent is in CIDCO's possession, 21 per cent is with the state government which would be transferred to CIDCO. The remaining 24 per cent of land had seven villages and about ten settlements (padas), housing about 3,500 families.

"We are already holding consultations with the villagers who want to settle close to the airport. Three alternative sites have been selected", the official said.

He said the ICAO had granted techno-feasibility clearance to the greenfield Navi Mumbai airport and also ruled that its operations would not have any impact on the flight operations of the existing Mumbai airrport at Santa Cruz.