The state government has promised to submit a newly drawn map on Navi Mumbai to the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) which will arrive here on September 22.
The state government has promised to submit a newly drawn map on Navi Mumbai to the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) which will arrive here on September 22.
The panel has been raising a lot of questions on administrative lapses related to the Navi Mumbai airport project.
“The EAC has raised objections to the 1995 map on which Navi Mumbai airport project was superimposed. We have decided to make the corrections to enable them to view the structural changes between 1995 and 2010,” an officer in the ministry of urban development said.
The new map is made by Anna University, the Union government authorised coastal zone mapping cell.
The map shows an increase in the mangrove areas as one of the two rivers is tidal and its levels have risen. The new map has minute details which were missing in the earlier map.
Highly-placed sources in the ministry told DNA, “We expect the committee to look into the ecological aspects and not get influenced by the position taken by the environment ministry. We want a fair report with suggestions without buckling under anybody’s pressure.”
Another concern raised by the state is the delay in executing the project. It will not only burden the infrastructure but also increase the expenditure. The airport, which was conceived in 2004-05 with a budget of Rs4,700 crore, had already crossed Rs9,970 crore in 2009-10.
“We have addressed two major concerns raised by Union environmental minister Jairam Ramesh. One relates to the fate of the mangroves and another to diversion of rivers,” said a senior officer. "We have agreed to changes in rivers to ensure they do not cause flooding,’’ he added.
A member of the Union environment ministry said, “We can understand the hassle the state is passing through but we cannot overlook every aspect related to environment.”
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