Patel: Help yourself

New Delhi, Feb. 17: The civil aviation ministry has indicated that private airport developers should acquire land on their own.

Civil aviation minister Praful Patel today suggested that private entrepreneurs acquire land on their own “with the support of local people”.

Patel, who was speaking at a stone laying function for a new integrated terminal at Delhi airport, wanted the finance ministry and the Planning Commission to “revisit” the policy on airports in the light of the difficulties being faced by SEZs in acquiring land.

“How do we allot new airports to different states or develop infrastructure without acquiring land? If entrepreneurs can get the land with the support of the (local) people, this would help solve the problem,” Patel said.

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi today laid the foundation stone for the construction of a new integrated terminal and the third runway at the IGI Airport here.

He said there was a need to “revisit” the policy on airports as almost every airport expansion project was facing problems relating to land acquisition.

Mumbai airport’s expansion plans have been shelved because of the problems in removing slums surrounding the airport.

Even Delhi airport faces its share of land-related woes.

Villagers of Nangal Dewat, whose land had been acquired by the government in 1964 and 1972 for Delhi airport, are still trying to get a better deal than they were given at that time.

Sonia Gandhi said the expanding civil aviation sector and construction of new infrastructure would “transform many regions, the backward ones in particular. New job opportunities will be created and the economic activity intensified”.

She stressed on improving air connectivity in areas like the Northeast and to historical and cultural importance. “We are committed to see that infrastructure does not remain a bottleneck in the progress of socio-economic development of the country.”

Others present were finance minister P. Chidambaram, Delhi chief minister Shiela Dikshit, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y Rajasekhar Reddy and deputy chairman of Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

For two hours before the function started, the airport halted flights from taking off or landing due to fog. Some 14 flights were unable to land.

The New Terminal (T3) would form the first phase of IGIA's modernisation. In its first phase, the airport would be capable of handling 37 million passengers per annum (mppa). The airport is being designed with an ultimate capacity of 100 million passengers per annum.

The two-tier terminal building would feature the departure complex on the upper level and the arrivals on the lower level.

For aircraft operations, the airport would feature three runways, including the two existing ones. The third runway, one of Asia’s longest at 4430 m would be ready by 2008. This runway would also be capable of handling next generation superjumbos such as the A380. T3 would feature 74 aerobridges, 30 remote stands with the potential for parking 200 aircraft.