Taxiway troubles for Mihan MROs

Nagpur: Even as Boeing Company and Duke’s Aviation announced start of work at their maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) depots at Mihan SEZ,
their plans could still hit air-pocket as the final one kilometre taxiway for the aircraft entering these MROs is still a long way off.
After a long wait, Boeing finally announced signing of lease deed with MADC for land last month. US-based Duke’s also held the ground-breaking ceremony for its MRO last week. Both the MROs share a common boundary.
The functioning of both units hinges on the proposed taxiway. Plots of both units are close to Shivangaon village where a new runway is proposed to be built for the planes to land and taxi into the MROs. Right now there are Shivangaon as well as farms in the area. The residents have been protesting since over a year for better rehabilitation package and are in no mood to vacate the area. A number of them have also not taken the compensation money for their lands. They are demanding a compensation up to Rs 35 lakh for an acre and 12.5% of developed land.
On Monday, a farmer Sunil Bode, stopped workers at the Boeing’s site from beginning the work on boundary wall that stretches up to a kilometre on his land. Bode, whose 10 acres have been taken over for the project, says he has not taken the compensation amount and wants more. Similarly, his neighbour Kavdu Manke has been scaring away the workers since over a year. Even if MADC builds a taxiway from the existing runway, it cannot avoid passing through Shivangaon.
Apart from villagers’ problem, the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) setting up the Mihan project, did not begin the work on taxiway so far because of the uncertainty over the transfer of the airport to the MADC. Civil aviation minister Praful Patel had announced during Duke’s ground-breaking ceremony that the airport would be transferred by February 28 even though the proposed joint venture company between MADC and Airport Authorities of India has not been formed yet. The airport is to be transferred to this new company.
10/02/09 Shishir Arya/Times of India

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Categories: Airports Feb 2009, Indian Aviation- In General Feb 2009, New Feb 2009