Rs14,000 crore Navi Mumbai airport project gets going, RFQ floated

Cidco has issued request for qualification (RFQ)  advert on Wednesday for the Navi Mumbai International Airport at Panvel.

Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said the airport at Sahar has reached saturation level. “We urgently require a new international airport that can accommodate the growing number of passengers. We have all permissions in place,” he said.

Bidders are expected to submit RFQ by June 18. The airport will be developed through public private partnership on design, build, finance, operate and transfer (DBFOT) basis. The work will be carried out in two phases.

V Radha, Cidco joint MD, said the RFQ is a long process. “It will take a year or so. Meanwhile, we will acquire the land and complete the administration procedure,” she said. “We have given the right and the best offer to project affected people. We are confident that they will sooner or later accept the package. It is for their benefit.”

The Navi Mumbai airport project will be developed on 1,160 hectares. It is expected to have a yearly capacity of 60 million passengers.

Of the 2,268 hectares required for the airport project, 1,572 hectares are already in Cidco’s possession. Cidco had in the past projected phase I completion by 2017.

The first right of refusal will be given to the GVK group as per the government’s earlier contract. GVK has developed the Mumbai International Airport. The cost of the entire project is Rs14,500 crore.
Farmers gear up for legal battle: Farmers from six villages are planning legal action against Cidco if the planning agency doesn’t talk with their representatives.

“Cidco is talking with the wrong committee. It is not talking to those whose land is to be acquired. Members of the Prakalpagrast Sangharash Samiti, with whom Cidco is holding talks, have nothing to lose. Their land is not going to be acquired for the project,” Mahendra Patil, who is leading the farmers of six villages opposed to the package, said.

“On the contrary, these people gave away their land to Cidco a long time back and have also availed benefits under the 12.5% scheme. We are not opposed to the project, but we are against the compensation offered.

“If they plan to move forward without talking with us, we have no option but to approach the court,” Patil said.

The new committee was formed after farmers from these villages parted ways with the Prakalpagrast Sangharsh Samiti led by MLAs Prashant Thakur (Congress) and Vivek Patil (PWP), whom they accused of not taking farmers into confidence before arriving at a deal with the government.

Villages under dispute
The acquisition of land in six villages near the proposed airport is significant as the main runway and core area of operations of airport will be in this part. The total area of land to be acquired from these villages is 457 hectares.