Dinesh Kamath's news item 'PAPs, CIDCO and NMIA Project' that was published in Newsband

PAPs, CIDCO and NMIA Project

By Dinesh Kamath

NAVI MUMBAI: Once the project affected persons (PAPs) of Navi Mumbai International Airport project accepts the government’s latest offer, the work on Dronagiri coastal road linking the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) directly to the Mumbai-Goa highway will get a push. City and Industrial Development Corporation has undertaken work to link JNPT, special economic zone area in Navi Mumbai and Dronagiri area, directly to the Pune and Goa highway. This road will facilitate fast movement of containers from JNPT. Presently, containers unloaded at JNPT are shipped to Pune, Goa, Nashik and Mumbai, causing traffic on the Sion-Panvel highway.

Once this road is complete, containers will not have to make their way through Navi Mumbai and Panvel. The 9-km stretch from Navghar to Chanje villages will connect to national highway 4B at Palaspe.

If after the PAPs of NMIA project accept the governent’s offer, the CIDCO, nodal agency for the project, finds it difficult to get developers, then the government might think of  constructing an airport by reclaiming land in the Panvel creek.

In case the companies fail to come forward, the government might think of constructing an airport in the sea. The union environment ministry has given an in-principle approval for such projects. Thus the government is prepared with second option. As per the plan, the airport is showing signs of handling 60 million passengers annually.

Dutch consultant Joeri Aulman has given the CIDCO officials a presentation on how to construct an airport in the sea. The existing airport plan spans over 1800 acres. It is proposed that an island of 4500 acres by reclamation on the bay area will be created. This will help create more land without affecting the nature.

Land-starved cities like Hong Kong and Singapore have their airports built on sea. Mumbai is also not alien to the concept as a good portion of the city is on reclaimed land.

Airport will be the best gift for Navi Mumbaikars. Once the Navi Mumbai International Airport project gets a go-ahead, the satellite city will be on par with the island city of Mumbai. The property rates here will grow drastically. The satellite city that had been lagging in pace for some time, will witness quick movement.

With the first flight likely to take-off in the next couple of years, major players in almost every sector will now look forward to setting up their base in the city. Allied companies, too, will come in this part of the world. The project will also boost the pace of infrastructural development in Navi Mumbai, and pending projects such as the construction of flyovers along the Thane-Belapur Road and Sion-Panvel highway will get the necessary push.

In the form of an airport, a major economic driver has come to Navi Mumbai. It is bound to generate a lot of interest among players from almost every sphere of the society. Besides, the city will witness growth with many allied industries setting up base here, thereby bringing along ample job opportunities.

Navi Mumbai has been in demand for its planned infrastructure, green environment, superb connectivity and cosmopolitan nature, and with the upcoming international airport, the city will witness a spectacular growth in the next 4-5 years.

Once the PAPs accept the governemnt’s offer, CIDCO is bound to start work on Navi Mumbai airport on war footing. The first thing it will do is to gradually claim the land from the villagers. Alongside, surveys using advanced technologies by CIDCO’s land survey department in the affected villages will also be conducted to procure concrete data on land or homes to be lost by each family. The findings will be forwarded to the concerned department handling the rehabilitation. CIDCO will also be extending financial help to those staying in gaothan areas for constructing their houses. PAPs will be paid cost of construction to help them rebuild their homes in accordance with the resettlement and rehabilitation (R&R) policy of CIDCO. The owners whose land falls in gaothan area, beyond gaothan area or beyond 200 metre of the gaothan but within the airport project will be the beneficiaries.

It is hoped that the first flight will take off by 2017