Airport construction will not hit environment: CIDCO

At a public hearing organised by the CIDCO,the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board and IIT experts in Dhapoli-Pargaon village,CIDCO general manager (Special Economic Zone) Jayant Kulkarni said the diversion of the rivers would not impact the environmental balance.

An environment impact assessment report conducted by the IIT along with Central Water and Power Research Station,Pune,and 12 other national and international consultants was submitted to the central government by the CIDCO a month ago.

“The report has been submitted to the Centre. We are expecting the final clearance within two-three months. We would want to start working on the project immediately,” Kulkarni said.

However,the event was boycotted by nearly 50 farmers from 18 nearby villages,who marked their protest by standing outside the venue gate,waving black flags and shouting slogans.

The new project will involve the rehabilitation of the residents of 10 farming villages. But the residents feared that “promises won’t be kept”.

“In 1970,the CIDCO had acquired land here and promised us 12.5% developed land in return. Many have still not got it. Some of our rehabilitated houses have not yet been regularised. With so much backlog,how do we trust this new project?” said R C Gharat,a representative of the 18 Village Committee. “We won’t give our approval to the project till the promises are honoured,” he said.

Kulkarni also said the development of the airport will take place in four phases.

The phase I that is expected to cost Rs 4,952 crore will include building of walls and the first air strip etc,and it would be completed between 2010-13.

The phase II,costing Rs 2,159 crore,will see building of the second air strip and will be done from 2013-17.

The phase III,which will cost Rs 1,878 crore,would stretch till 2021 and the final phase IV expected to cost Rs 636 crore would be completed between 2022-26.

“The total project is expected to cost Rs 9,625 crore and will stand on 2,054 hectares of land. Of that 1,615 hectares would comprise the aeronautical zone,” he said.

The site of the proposed airport has five rivers: Taloja and Kasadi to the north,Ghadi and Kalundri to the east and Ulve to the south. All of them join at the Panvel creek and proceeds to enter the Thane creek.

M R Lad,sub regional officer,Raigad -I,of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board said,“The EIA study has covered an area of 10-km radius from all sides of the airport zone. Impact of the project on the air,water,earth,pollution,noise and ecology have all been .”