“As soon as the plot is finalised, MHA will sanction the money,” Union Home Secretary G K Pillai told The Indian Express.

In reference to the 600-acre Dankuni site that NSG Director General N P S Aulakh had nearly approved a month ago, Pillai said: “Estimated around Rs 350 crore, the cost of the land (in Dankuni) was very high. So the NSG has decided to move their project site away from the city airport.”

The rejection of the Dankuni site served as a cause of concern for state home department officials, particularly after the NSG rejected all the sites it had recced earlier. These included two plots at Panagarh in Burdwan district, one plot at Barackpore, and one at Kaikhali near Dum Dum airport.