Airport city crosses last hurdle

kolkata/Durgapur: Promoters of the airport city at Andal near Durgapur have given up the quest for the final tranche of land that was yet to be acquired and decided to accommodate the ambitious project in an area that is 144 acre short of the original plan.
Speaking to TOI, a senior official of project promoter Bengal Aerotropolis Pvt Ltd (BAPL) said the decision to make do with 2,201 acre that had been acquired was taken at a crucial board meeting on June 28. Apart from the BAPL top brass, honchos of co-promoter Changi Airports Singapore were also present. The decision has been conveyed to the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation ( WBIDC).
Last week, senior BAPL officials met industries minister Partha Chatterjee and apprised him of the latest development. Not only does the development remove the biggest stumbling block in the way of the Rs 10,000-crore project, it is also poised to become the showcase project of the Mamata Banerjee government, when the airport takes off in September 2012.
"Given the present political dispensation, we decided to be pragmatic and take the project forward. Though the project has to be modified to accommodate all components within the curtailed area, there was no other option, given the state government's outlook on acquisition. Now that we have removed the hurdle, the project will be able to move ahead full steam," said BAPL director Partha Ghosh. An objection by Coal India that had surfaced in the initial days of the project was resolved after a realignment.
14/07/11 Subhro Niyogi & Debajyoti Chakraborty/Times of India

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Categories: Airports Jul 2011, New Jul 2011