Mumbai:
Barely a fortnight after an unimpressed Union Environment Ministry put it on hold voicing concerns, the Maharashtra government is fighting hard to resurrect the airport project at Navi Mumbai.
The Environment Ministry wasn't at all convinced about the site at Navi Mumbai and asked the state government to consider three other alternatives: Kalyan, Wada and Ansoli saying they seem to have better potential. But the state government has responded by saying that only Navi Mumbai is aeronautically feasible.
The state's new proposal said the other three sites do not allow for an unrestricted runway because of their proximity to the Sahyradri mountains.
But has the state managed to address the environmental concerns about Navi Mumbai?
The Environment Ministry wanted the diversion of Gadhi River avoided because it could trigger major flooding. The state's new draft says the river will not be diverted; instead, the runways will be shifted south and the distance between them reduced.
Secondly, the Environment Ministry wanted non-aeronautical activities in the airport shifted to land earmarked for Reliance Industries and Videocon SEZs to spare the lush mangrove belt. The state's new draft says it will shift those activities without treading on SEZ land.
The new pitch will be sent to the Environment Minister before his team visits Navi Mumbai later this month. But given the long stand-off over the project, it's not clear whether the new pitch will make the cut.