Dinesh Kamath's news item 'PM and CM to discuss airport issue on November 13' that was published in Newsband

PM and CM to discuss airport issue on November 13

By Dinesh Kamath

NAVI MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan is likely to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Delhi on November 13 to discuss and finalize the Navi Mumbai airport.

CM intends to resolve all pending issues involving the proposed Navi Mumbai airport. The pending issues are relating to the payments and resettlement of the villagers who will have to be moved due to the upcoming airport.

The project affected persons (PAPs) expect 35% of compensation of developed land for every hectare acquired or Rs 50 crore in cash for every hectare acquired. It is left to be seen whether they will accept City and Industrial Development Corporation’s detailed development package that it has worked out for PAPs.

Thus CM and PM will discuss over the bottlenecks in the progress of the greenfield airport at Panvel in Navi Mumbai. CM realizes that the proposed airport is a key infrastructure project and he is confident that the unresolved issues related to it will be sorted out in the meeting. He has appealed to the local villagers to cooperate with the government, and said the airport will lead to area's development and improvement in the standard of living of people.

The Navi Mumbai airport will provide an alternative to the Mumbai International Airport and being a major issue it will be discussed in detail during the meeting on November 13. According to Chavan, this project is such a massive one that it needs detailed discussion and planning. This project, in fact, has become a serious headache for the state as it has been on the anvil since past many years and it still exist solely on paper.

The CIDCO authorities are however hopeful of sorting this issue very soon. In fact, CIDCO joint MD V Radha touched upon the various aspects of the upcoming infra projects in Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA), the airport and land acquisition issues. She considered the issue of finalizing the land for airport as a top priority one. CIDCO is looking at a comprehensive rehabilitation of PAPs apart from giving them land close to the airport site. CIDCO expects the youth section of the PAPs to get jobs in hospitality and other industries. It is in talks with the Taj group for providing quality training to the youth. CIDCO will have more such tie-ups with companies in the telecommunication sector for providing value-added training. Also it intends to offer most of the big contracts for the airport project to the locals. There has been several rounds of talks between CIDC officials and the CM relating to airport issue.

CIDCO’s joint managing director V Radha went to the extent of personally meeting the PAPs and assuring them that their problems would be solved at the earliest. She told them that their demands are being considered at the highest level. PAPs have put forward not one or two but many demands in front of V Radha. The PAPs, in fact, have yet to agree to the state government’s proposal of giving 22.5% of the developed plot, so as to acquire their land for the mega project. The PAPs are busy discussing this issue among themselves and with their leaders.

Radha feels that CIDCO is offering the PAPs the best rehabilitation and resettlement package. Considering the fact that the infrastructure to be developed in the airport area will be state-of-the-art and also the PAPs will have the privilege of staying in the neighbourhood of some of the best names in the hotel and other industries and they will be provided with best houses with best quality roads, it is strange that PAPs are still not able to make a final decision on this issue.

Thus all eyes are now focused on the high level meeting that will take place between CM and PM on November 13 to discuss this most sensitive issue which has been a source of headache for many who are connected with this airport project. It is hoped that at last a final decision on this issue will be arrived at.