A panel of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has given the ‘green signal’ for the multi-billion rupee Navi Mumbai international airport project. With this, Mumbai may finally get its new airport now. The proposal had also received an intense push from Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan who had met Union Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan to clear hurdles in its path.    

In its recently held meeting, the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) cleared the proposal recommending forest clearance with several conditions for diversion of around 250 hectares of forest land in Raigad. It had already got the environmental clearance in 2010.    

One of the main concerns of the FAC was mangrove forest in the area sought for diversion and while recommending approval, it has clearly laid down that afforestation of mangrove species over an area equivalent in extent to mangrove forest area being diverted has to be raised and maintained by the user agency at their own cost.    

FAC also directed that a specific plan be prepared by a reputed organisation like the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) and the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and its recommendations for mitigating the impact of the airport on avifauna. Another concern area was that the project is within a 10 km radius of the Karnala Bird sanctuary.    

So, the committee, while recommending the airport, noted that two airstrips proposed in the project are East-West-oriented and will have lesser impact on Karnala Bird Sanctuary.    

However, in view of the impact on the Karnala Bird Sanctuary, no proposal for extension of project will be entertained towards Karnala Bird Sanctuary, FAC said. It also said that the authorities, in future, shall not submit any proposal for extension of the project or any other project related to airport in the forest land between the present project site and Karnala Bird Sanctuary.