Mumbai has long been in urgent need of a second airport. The existing one is in the middle of the city, highly congested and witnesses the most delays among all global airports. Two years hence, landing in Mumbai will be messy, with the existing airspace insufficient to meet the growing traffic and more landings. It was 27 years ago that a committee under J.R.D. Tata advocated a second airport for the country's business capital. The former civil aviation minister, Praful Patel, had begun pitching for the Navi Mumbai airport in UPA 1. Interestingly, two-thirds of the public land required for the project was already acquired by Cidco, the state government agency executing the new airport. But Patel's efforts were stalled during UPA 2, with Jairam Ramesh holding the environment portfolio. After a protracted battle between the ministries, the project was finally cleared by the environment ministry's expert appraisal committee in November 2010. But land issues gained prominence in the interim, with project affected persons (PAPs) raising their demands. In the last three years, Cidco could not manage to acquire the balance one-third public land.
13/11/13 Indian Express
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13/11/13 Indian Express
