Maharashtra government sees light of early clearance for new airport

Prime minister Manmohan Singh is all set to mediate between the warring civil aviation and environment ministries for an early clearance of the controversial Navi Mumbai airport project.

“We are prepared to make the changes that will see that the project happens,” said chief minister Ashok Chavan soon after a Congress delegation met the prime minister. “We expect that the meeting (between Singh and the ministries) will happen soon. If necessary, we shall also participate in it. We have understood the environment ministry’s objections and are aware that there are technical solutions available to these problems. We also do not want any damage to the environment.”   

However, Chavan did not get into any blame game regarding Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh. “I have met him, but the problems have not been solved,” he said.

The Congress put up a show of unity for the cause of the airport in order to seek the prime minister’s intervention. Senior cabinet ministers Narayan Rane and Patangrao Kadam who do not see eye to eye with Chavan on political issues, joined the party delegation that also had pradesh Congress chief Manikrao Thakre, Mumbai unit chief Kripashankar Singh and pradesh Congress spokesperson Kanhayialal Gidwani.

Rane also joined Chavan while addressing the media after the meeting, and they took pots shots at the Shiv Sena for opposing the airport. “There is no private land in the vicinity of the proposed airport site,” said Chavan while Rane said that the Sena has no base and is making “baseless” charges that the government is insisting on this site so as to let the influential politicians from the ruling coalition profiteer from it.  

Stressing that their only concern is the development of the state, both Rane and Chavan maintained that the new airport is now unavoidable as the Mumbai airport currently handles 26 million passengers annually and the traffic flow was set to increase to 45 million passengers by 2014-15 and 119 million by 2031-32.

Chavan also said that the government had acquired all the land that was needed for the project, and the work could begin immediately. “Once we get the clearance, we can begin the countdown tomorrow and deliver the airport within three years,” he said.  

“Our friends are currently enjoying in New York,” quipped Rane in a reference to the NCP’s overseas conference when asked about the absence of the coalition partner in the delegation that met the prime minister.