Noida: Technical issues hold up site clearance for Jewar airport
In 2001, then UP chief minister and current Union home minister Rajnath Singh had proposed a greenfield Taj International Airport and Aviation Hub in Jewar.
The Union civil aviation ministry on Friday discussed the technical issues related to the proposed site for a greenfield international airport in Greater Noida’s Jewar area, located along the 165km Yamuna Expressway.
Once all technical issues are discussed and resolved, the aviation ministry will issue a site clearance, paving the way for setting up the international airport.
“Once the ministry gives site clearances, we will start our job of acquiring land for the project. We are waiting for the site clearance before we start the acquisition process,” said Prabhat Kumar, chairman of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA).
On Friday, the Union civil aviation ministry did not give a site clearance as it wanted to look into the technical issues related to the site. The meeting was attended by YEIDA officials, officials from the UP civil aviation department and experts from the Union civil aviation ministry in Delhi.
The Union ministry experts along with officials from the UP discussed an obstacle limitation survey (OLS) report in great length.
In the OLS, details of overhead electricity lines, religious sites, minarets, big old trees, high-rise buildings, ponds, rivers, distance from existing airport and wildlife habitat pertaining to the site for the proposed airport was listed.
“There were some technical issues that stopped the ministry from giving a site clearance in Friday’s meeting. They have called another meeting in the end of June. If all technical issues are sorted, they will take a final call on site clearances,” said an official of the Yamuna Expressway authority, who attended the meeting.
In 2001, then UP chief minister and current Union home minister Rajnath Singh had proposed a greenfield Taj International Airport and Aviation Hub in Jewar. However, the project failed to take off in 16 years due to changes in governments at the Centre and the state.
On April 7, the project got fresh impetus after chief minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials to expedite work on the project.
The union ministry, however, has changed the name of the proposed airport. Now the project has been renamed ‘Noida international airport’ near Jewar, along Yamuna Expressway.
