Hot-cold vibes between Mayawati, Centre may delay Taj aviation hub

Lucknow: The love-hate relationship between the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre and the Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh has cast a long shadow on the chief minister's pet project, the Rs 5,000-crore greenfield Taj International Aviation Hub (TIAH) in Jewar, Greater Noida.
Despite having received the techno-feasibility report from the Centre as far back as 2003, the TIAH, which is supposed to act as decongesting agent for the burgeoning air traffic as well as operate as the only hub between West Asia and Southeast Asia, has been referred to the Group of Ministers (GoM) to sort out "certain legal issues". This, in other words, sources in the state government say, means more delay.
"Despite the Union Cabinet giving a green signal to the project, the Centre has referred it to the GoM, saying there are certain legal issues that need to be sorted out," a highly placed official in the state government said, adding that the delay in granting permission to TIAH is a loss of opportunity.
The GoM, headed by finance minister P Chidambaram, met on January 31, examined various issues, but failed to reach a conclusion. It is expected to meet again soon, the official said.
10/02/08 Deepa Jainani/Financial Expess

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Categories: airports Feb 2008, New Feb 2008