Mihan finally gets city airport

Nagpur: Mihan has finally got a ground to stand on, as the vexed issue of transfer of the Nagpur airport was finally resolved.
In a low key affair on Thursday, Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) and Airports Authority of India (AAI) announced signing of the agreement of transfer' that effectively gave control of city airport to the Mihan India Private Limited (MIPL), the joint venture formed by the two entities.
The multimodal international hub at Nagpur (Mihan) project hinged on this act. It can be expected to take off now. The entire Nagpur airport comprising 1288.15 acres land, and other movable and immovable assets were handed over to the MIPL. Though this is subject to valuation of assets as per the joint venture agreement. The transferred land includes 288.68 acres land in airport in possession of Indian Air Force (IAF). It was only due to the impediments in airport transfer that the Mihan project, which was the original endeavour of MADC, had taken a backseat and focus was shifted to developing the special economic zone (SEZ). Without the airport, the plan to make Nagpur an international logistics hub remained on paper.
Vidarbha Economic Development Council (VED), a voluntary organisation, had moved the court for speedy transfer of the airport. Later MADC too moved court to coax AAI to part with the airport. Last month AAI filed an affidavit in court saying that the airport would be transferred within a week.
07/08/09 Times of India

To Read the News in full at Source, Click the Headline

Categories: Airports Aug 2009, New Aug 2009