Mumbai:
Mumbai wants a second airport soon, much like the newly built Terminal 3 in Delhi but the problem has been environment clearance.
Pushing for a new airport at Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan met Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh. (
Read: Ramesh refuses to guarantee clearance for Navi Mumbai Airport)
The proposed airport at Navi Mumbai has been held up for over a year now because of environmental concerns as Jairam Ramesh has given no firm assurance that the airport proposal will go through.
"We are all committed to building world class infrastructure in Mumbai, our commercial capital. But there are serious environmental issues and the state government and the Centre will jointly resolve it. It's not an either-or issue. We will protect the environment as well as build infrastructure fast," said Jairam Ramesh.
Mumbai's current airport, Sahar, is operating to its capacity and there is no scope of any further expansion. A second airport will be able to handle an additional 40 million passengers a year.
But the Environment Ministry says, these 400 acres of mangrove forest will be destroyed if the new airport comes up here. Also, the course of two rivers will have to be changed.
The Environment Ministry's reservation led to a public outburst by the Aviation Minister Praful Patel last Friday.
"Pains me to see that Navi Mumbai airport is getting delayed due to environmental issues. Delay is too long, causing anxiety and damage to Mumbai's future. We can't be overly obsessive about environmental issues. Developing countries need different environment yardsticks from developed nations. We can't give priority of 50-100 acres of degradation over a large infrastructure project," said Praful Patel, Civil Aviation Minister.
Jairma's Ministry is meeting on July 21 to examine a fresh proposal by the Maharashtra government but it's the latest episode in UPA II ministers quibbling in public.