Govt looks at more airports in coastal regions

New Delhi: In a move that will benefit not only the proposed Navi Mumbai airport project but also the expansion of existing airports in the coastal area, the Ministry of Environment and Forests has proposed changes in the Coastal Management Zone Notification that will allow such projects to be taken up.
It is proposed that these projects be cleared on a case-to-case basis and only after a detailed scientific study has been conducted to ensure that adequate environmental safeguards have been taken to neutralise damage to the coastal environment.
A senior official of the Ministry of Civil Aviation told Business Line that the amendments were being proposed as the earlier Act was exhaustive and specified areas where an airport could come up in the coastal zone. “The new amendment proposed will pave the way for the Navi Mumbai airport project and also any new project being planned,” the official said.
A study is proposed to be jointly conducted by the Pune-based National Water and Power Resources Institute and the Mumbai-based Indian Institute of Technology on mitigating the impact of the Navi Mumbai airport project on the environment.
27/05/08 Ashwini Phadnis/Business Line

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Categories: Airports May 2008, New May 2008