Centre accords 'in-principle' approval for 6 greenfield airports

According to Gen VK Singh, Minister of State in the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Central government has given 'in-principle' approval for the establishment of 21 greenfield airports across the country. According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, in a written reply to Lok Sabha, Singh said these airports include Mopa in Goa, Navi Mumbai, Shirdi and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra, Kalaburagi, Vijayapura, Hassan and Shivamogga in Karnataka, Dabra (Gwalior) in Madhya Pradesh, Kushinagar and Noida (Jewar) in Uttar Pradesh, Dholera and Hirasar in Gujarat, Karaikal in Puducherry, Dagadarthi, Bhogapuram and Oravakal (Kurnool) in Andhra Pradesh, Durgapur in West Bengal, Pakyong in Sikkim, Kannur in Kerala and Donyi Polo, Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh. Greenfield airports have been operationalized in Durgapur, Shirdi, Kannur, Pakyong, Kalaburagi, Orvakal (Kurnool), Sindhudurg, Kushinagar, and Donyi Polo, Itanagar. The government has given the Gujarat State Government 'In-Principle' approval for the development of two Greenfield Airports at Hirasar (Rajkot) and Dholera (Ahmedabad). The State Government has partnered with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to develop the Hirasar airport, which will cost Rs 1405 crore. A Joint Venture Company comprised of AAI, the Government of Gujarat (GoG), and the National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT) holding equity in the ratio of 51:33:16 has been formed to oversee the development of Dholera Greenfield Airport at a project cost of Rs 13.05 billion. The Greenfield Airports (GFA) Policy, 2008 governs the construction of a Greenfield airport. A State Government or Airport Developer must submit a proposal to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) for 2-stage clearance, which includes Site-Clearance and In-Principle permission, in accordance with the Policy, in order to create an airport. Such suggestions are examined by MoCA in accordance with the process outlined in the GFA Policy. The involved airport developer as well as the relevant State Government is responsible for carrying out airport developments, including funding them (in case the State Government is the project proponent). See also: Indian aviation sector to witness investments worth Rs 1.65 lakh cr Govt plans Rs 360 bn investment for greenfield airports