Twenty-one years after the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) was conceived, the civil aviation ministry said earlier this month that meeting the December 2019 deadline for making NMIA operational would be tough. But the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), which is executing the project, say they would be able to meet the deadline for the metropolitan's second airport.
The CIDCO officials said they are working day and night towards the end. They are carrying blasting activities daily for two hours to level Ulwe hill.
A visit to the construction site of the airport bears this out. One can see hundreds of workers pegging away at pre-development activities.
Villagers residing near the airport site claim the busy Uran-Panvel road, known for handling cargo traffic heading towards Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), is now seen lined with more than 100 dumpers and trailers moving up and down Ulwe hill, carrying construction debris and material from one place to another.
The pre-construction activity for the airport started last year but has seen several ups and downs owing to protests by local villagers over rehabilitation. Furthermore, monsoon-related works have slowed down the pace of construction work.
Lokesh Chandra, vice-chairman and managing director, CIDCO, said, "We are very well on track to meet the December 2019 deadline. We are working very hard day and night. Blasting is being carried out for two hours daily. In the afternoon, blasting is done between 1 pm and 2 pm, then between 5 pm and 6 pm for levelling Ulwe hill for the runways."
During these time windows, the least number of people are found near the site: labourers are on a break either for lunch or rest.
"Parallelly, river diversion work is also being executed," Chandra said.
CIDCO had roped in Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-B) as a consultant, along with the Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CIMFR), which is assisting with the explosives work.
Chandra added, "We have completed around 54 per cent of pre-development activity and as per our plan, we are very well on track. Though the monsoon will slow things down, we are sure of starting the first phase of the airport by December 2019."
26/05/18 Mehul R Thakkar/DNA
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The CIDCO officials said they are working day and night towards the end. They are carrying blasting activities daily for two hours to level Ulwe hill.
A visit to the construction site of the airport bears this out. One can see hundreds of workers pegging away at pre-development activities.
Villagers residing near the airport site claim the busy Uran-Panvel road, known for handling cargo traffic heading towards Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), is now seen lined with more than 100 dumpers and trailers moving up and down Ulwe hill, carrying construction debris and material from one place to another.
The pre-construction activity for the airport started last year but has seen several ups and downs owing to protests by local villagers over rehabilitation. Furthermore, monsoon-related works have slowed down the pace of construction work.
Lokesh Chandra, vice-chairman and managing director, CIDCO, said, "We are very well on track to meet the December 2019 deadline. We are working very hard day and night. Blasting is being carried out for two hours daily. In the afternoon, blasting is done between 1 pm and 2 pm, then between 5 pm and 6 pm for levelling Ulwe hill for the runways."
During these time windows, the least number of people are found near the site: labourers are on a break either for lunch or rest.
"Parallelly, river diversion work is also being executed," Chandra said.
CIDCO had roped in Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-B) as a consultant, along with the Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CIMFR), which is assisting with the explosives work.
Chandra added, "We have completed around 54 per cent of pre-development activity and as per our plan, we are very well on track. Though the monsoon will slow things down, we are sure of starting the first phase of the airport by December 2019."
26/05/18 Mehul R Thakkar/DNA
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