The heliport will help the Essar group fly its executives directly to its steel plant in Hazira near Surat and its upcoming refinery project near Jamnagar, Gujarat. At present, all corporates in Mumbai use the Juhu airport to ferry their executives to their respective plants. Politicians, on the other hand, use the naval heliport at Colaba and the Raj Bhavan helipad.

Aviation experts said the group can also lend its heliport for use to other corporates desirous of avoiding Mumbai's traffic. During non-peak hours, it takes more than two hours to travel from north Mumbai to south Mumbai by road.

Though Essar House is not situated near the central business districtsof Nariman Point and Fort, corporate travellers can take a 20-minute taxi ride to the Nariman Point area from Mahalaxmi. Essar has been granted permission by the DGCA for a helipad because of the absence of any tall buildings near Essar House. A heliport in Nariman Point or Fort is unviable due to the numerous towering buildings and the noise pollution in the area.

A heliport in south Mumbai has been a major demand of the corporate sector, but no decision has been taken in this regard yet. In fact, the first clearance -- to Essar's heliport -- took more than four years, which reflects on the efficiency of the bureaucracy, corporate executives said.

With permission from the DGCA, Essar is now waiting for clearances from other government agencies like the Airport Authority of India, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Wireless Authority, and Mumbai police.

A proposed helipad near President Hotel in Colaba is mired in controversy as locals are agitating over the noise pollution and displacement ofslumdwellers. The use of the helipad on the decommissioned aircraft carrier Vikrant is also on the cards.