CIDCO hid reserved forest land to get airport nod, says activist

Navi Mumbai: An environmentalist from the city has complained to the ministry of environment and forests that the proposed airport at Navi Mumbai received the environment clearance in 2010 as CIDCO, the nodal agency of the project, did not reveal to the authorities the presence of 130 hectares of reserved forest land in the area.
Besides, the distance between the airport and the Karnala bird sanctuary is less than the prescribed 10km, though while asking for the green nod, the officials had wrongly shown it to be more than 10km.
"It is a very serious matter that City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Limited (Cidco) hid the fact about the reserved forest in the airport zone while obtaining the environment clearance. The green clearance should be revoked on this very point," said Debi Goenka of Conservation Action Trust. "Last month, I, along with senior Cidco officials, conducted a field survey of the airport land and found that its distance from the Karnala sanctuary boundary is 9.5km. An airport coming up this close to a bird sanctuary is dangerous, considering possibilities of bird-hits."
04/03/12 Vijay Singh & Chittaranjan Tembhekar/Times of India

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

Categories: airports Mar 2012, New Mar 2012