Decision on the proposed airport in Navi Mumbai is expected to come on Friday with the environment ministry’s Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) accepting the revised proposal of the City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco), the airport developer.
“We had a good meeting today and will give our recommendations to the ministry soon. The decision should be hopefully out by Friday. We don’t need more clarifications,” said EAC Chairman Naresh Dayal.
EAC had earlier expressed its disappointment over lack of a detailed traffic management plan being prepared by Cidco and emphasised the need to take care of increased vehicular traffic. The Navi Mumbai International Airport is planned for 60 million passengers per annum (MPPA) by 2030-31. It is proposed to be developed on the public-private partnership (PPP) model.
“The meeting was held today but I am yet to receive the report. I will take a decision once I get those recommendations,” said Union Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh.
Tanaji Satre, joint managing director of Cidco, told Business Standard, “Cidco has made its presentation to EAC as per its suggestions. EAC has indicated today’s was the last presentation from Cidco on the new airport. Now EAC will make its recommendations and thereafter the Ministry of Environment and Forests will take a decision in this regard.”
A major concern pertained to the distance between the two independent parallel runways besides staggering of runways and redesigning of the terminal building.
The two independent parallel runways are proposed to be spaced 1,800 metres apart with the terminal building located between the two runways. It was also informed that the minimum distance required between the two runways is 1,035 metres, in case the terminal building is not in the middle. Further, a minimum distance of 1,500 metre is required even if the terminal building is in between the two runways.
Cidco had informed EAC that the Ulwe River has a length of 10 km and has a small catchment area of 35 sq km, while the committee said a few kilometres of the river could be hydrologically designed as a through channel for the maximum discharge, without changing its natural alignment after ensuring least interference or damage to the mangroves.
The committee also suggested a revision and recast of the master plan based on the phased development. Moreover, it observed that due to cutting a 97-metre-high hill and filling the airport site and raising it to 6-7 metres, the ground level would change the drainage pattern of the entire region and would cause flooding in Panvel and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust areas and this aspect needed further examination and model studies.
