Flight in sight for Taj hub after Centre decision

Lucknow: The new aviation policy of the Central government has improved the chances for the Taj International Aviation Hub — an ambitious project being pushed fervently by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati.
The main hurdle in the path of this airport, proposed at Jewar at Gautam Budh Nagar, was its proximity to the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi. This site is only 60 kilometres away while a central government rule specifies that a new airport cannot come up within 150 kilometres of an existing airport.
However, the new ‘greenfield policy’ — cleared by the Union Cabinet on April 24 — has included a provision that will examine all proposals for new airports, and check if greenfield airports can be set up within 150 kilometres of an existing airport. The Centre will look at all proposals, case by case.
Principal Secretary of the state’s Aviation department Shailesh Krishna said: “The project might get the green signal as a specific case.” Though Krishna said there is no need to submit a fresh proposal, the government can do so if need be. The state’s argument will remain the same — “The Delhi airport is too congested with virtually no possibility of further expansion”.
The Taj International Airport Hub expects to handle nearly 3.9 million passengers annually by 2012, or roughly one-fifth of the current traffic at the New Delhi airport, according to estimates by the state government. The proposal also seeks to derive a significant share of revenue through shopping malls, hotels, a cargo hub, an aviation academy and residential complexes as part of the airport project. The plan for Jewar airport — first conceptualised in 2001 by the then Mayawati government — requires acquisition of 1,500 hectares of land and an investment of Rs 5,000 crore.
26/04/08 Alka S Pande/Expressindia.com

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Categories: Airports Apr 2008, Indian Aviation- In General Apr 2008