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“Recently, in a meeting with the Chief Minister and the managing director of CIDCO, I said a sound EIA must be conducted and the report produced,” he said.
The study is being done by IIT-Bombay and is expected to take between nine months and a year.
The Navi Mumbai airport, proposed on the Kopra-Panvel stretch, involves reclamation of low-lying areas in an ecologically fragile zone and destruction of several hectares of mangroves.
“I am sensitive to Mumbai’s growing economic needs, but I am also concerned about preservation of its mangrove forest. About 150 hectares of mangrove forests will be destroyed. The ministry is especially concerned about how that will be compensated for,” Ramesh said.
Ramesh was in Mumbai for a discussion on amendments needed to re-implement the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) of 1991. The amended CRZ may also give certain special status to Mumbai considering its unique problems.
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Why does it take so long to do these things in India? I recall the airport in Beijing being built in just 3.5years and planning permissions were rapidly pushed through. I appreciate that this may not be a fair comparision but we are in a global economy and if Mumbai does not invest in infrastructure, then let us just lag behind. Having just returned from New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, I am disappointed to say that we are a very long way behind. So politicians,planners,enviornmentalists, administrators - are we the Africa of Asia?
Mr. Ramesh, do what is right, but do it. Please for heavens sake stop beating around the bush. The Navi mumbai Airport idea was mooted 25 years ago and has been pending since because of the CRZ issue. All types of studies have been done. I dont know what new is to be found out thru the IIT study. For the last 25 years it was okay as this was not critical. But now it is critical and delay of another year is too much. I dont think the people will forgive this negligence and mismanagement of important developmental issues.