The Navi Mumbai airport issue was brought to Gandhi by Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan on the eve of the commencement of her fourth term as party chief. “She has promised to look into the issue and expedite it,” said Chavan who today led a delegation of senior state Congress leaders to the Prime Minister.

“The Prime Minister said I will personally look into the matter. Mumbai’s development is of paramount importance to the country. He said I assure you that nothing will come in the way of Mumbai’s development, that I will call the ministers concerned to resolve the issue,” said Chavan.

He told The Indian Express that Sonia Gandhi too was concerned about this issue. “She said she understands our views and concerns. She will call the people concerned to discuss the issue. She said she will try to expedite the matter,” said Chavan.

He ruled out the possibility of shifting the proposed airport to Kalyan because the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre was developing a laboratory in the area. “Other site is not possible. There is no substitute to this,” he said.

The state party delegation that met the PM included Revenue Minister Narayan Rane, state Congress chief Manikrao Thakre, Mumbai Congress chief Kripashankar Singh, state Congress spokesman Kanhaialal Gidwani, and several present and former MLAs, MLCs and MPs.

Gidwani said the delegation also submitted a PCC memorandum stating that the present site of the proposed airport poses minimum problem and there was no other site in Mumbai. “The PM said a practical view has to be taken because it is a development issue,” he said.

Chavan and Rane denied Shiv Sena allegations that some influential Congress leaders had bought land near the proposed airport site. “Ek taraf khaadi (depression) hai, doosri taraf SEZ. There is no private land available in the immediate vicinity,” said Chavan. He said the state government was ready to address all environmental issues “but this work should be seen with a positive angle”.

As for the flow of river, he said there were remedies for it. “We are also ready to leave out some areas that are earmarked for commercial utilisation. We are also ready for mangroves,” he said.

“What people are not realising is that neither of the two rivers there cross the proposed runway. They run parallel to the runway and their flow can be diverted. We have already studied it. Besides, the river falls in the area proposed for commercial activities. We can leave them out. As for mangroves, we can do their plantation anywhere else. Mumbai has no dearth of backwaters to plant them,” Rane told The Indian Express.

The delegation was learnt to have made a presentation to the Prime Minister, addressing all concerns raised by Jairam Ramesh. They cited a study by the Central Water Power Research Station, Pune which concluded that training and diversion of river within the tidal zone was feasible and could also improve the flow condition in Panvel creek.

Loss of mangroves of 161 hectares in the project area was proposed to be mitigated by taking up the compensatory forestation at Dahanu and Palghar talukas in identified sites measuring 400 hectares.

Asked for his comment on Ramesh’s opposition to the proposed airport, Chavan said: “I have no personal quarrel with him, but I am interested in the state’s development. I understand there are environmental issues but you have to make a balance between environment and development.”

He said a team of officials from the Civil Aviation Ministry had visited the site on Thursday and the Environment Ministry should also sent a team to study the options being offered by the state government to address the Ministry’s concerns.