DoP not to vacate land for Mumbai airport

New Delhi: The private developer of Mumbai airport is at loggerheads with the Department of Posts (DoP) over a piece of land that the airport wants for expansion.
The DoP, which owns 25 acres adjacent to the airport area, has refused to part with the land, saying it is a residential colony of over 800 families of its employees.
"MIAL (Mumbai International Airport Ltd) approached us for the land saying that the 800 families would be redensified (relocated) to another colony in the city. They said they wanted the land to build a cargo complex. However, such a situation is not acceptable to us and we have made that very clear," said a DoP official.
The department has also refused to share with MIAL the land that it owns within the airport area, saying it wants the land to expand its own cargo operations, which would include an expanded aircraft fleet and tie-ups with scheduled carriers. The land within the airport has been leased to the DoP till 2017.
Meanwhile, the civil aviation ministry has advised the DoP to shift its cargo operations to the upcoming airport at Navi Mumbai, according to sources in the ministry.
Also, Air India has refused to share with MIAL around 219 acres that it has taken on lease.
28/04/08 Anirban Chowdhury/Business Standard

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Categories: Airports Apr 2008