Navi Mumbai airport may be operational by December 2018

Thane (Maharashtra), June 17 (IANS) The first phase of the proposed new international airport in Navi Mumbai is expected to become operational by December 2018, an official said here Tuesday.

The first phase will include one runway of the new airport, arrival and departure terminals and custom, immigration sections.

Designed to ease congestion at the existing single runway Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai, the proposed double runway Navi Mumbai International Airport will come up near Panvel as a Public-Private Partnership project on a design, build, finance, operate and transfer (DBFOT) basis.

The airport is expected to cost about Rs.14,500 crore, said Sanjay Bhatia, vice-chairman and managing director of City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) of Maharashtra Limited, which is overseeing the construction of the greenfield airport project.

CIDCO has now embarked on a Rs.20,000-crore infrastructure development of the nodes it manages in the airport vicinity, Bhatia said.

CIDCO has already appealed to various stake-holders listing out various initiatives on the infrastructure aspects, including the settlement with almost all the villages to ensure smooth process of land acquisition, he added.

Among the related projects which would boost the new international airport are a Rs.2,100-crore Metro Rail project, Rs.1,412-crore Nerul-Uran railway line, Rs.1,450-crore Balganga Dam for providing drinking water to Navi Mumbai, an airport township, other coastal roads and bridges.

Besides, the state government is re-activating the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) project and the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust is doubling its capacity to handle large vessels.

CIDCO has prepared a three-year action plan to develop 13 schools, four professional colleges, one degree college, 32 hospitals, 34 religious and spiritual centres and 77 community welfare centres, including hostels and indoor and outdoor sports facilities, added Bhatia.

CIDCO plans to construct 6,000 affordable houses for the poor and middle classes in the region.

The local forest department is collaborating with CIDCO to develop a Rs.36-crore Nature Park Project spread over 2,000 hectares.

"It will have walking trails, water conservation projects, viewing galleries, adventure and camping facilities, regeneration of the forest and existing waterfalls, besides a Boulders' Park," Bhatia said.

These projects have attracted major realtors of Navi Mumbai, including Rajesh Prajapati of Prajapati Developers and Mohan Gurnani of Moraj Developers.

They have assured full support to CIDCO to convert Navi Mumbai into a "world-class city" by providing all housing amenities and infrastructure.