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Land rates for Hindon airport expansion to be finalised this month
Under the expansion plan, the AAI aims to add more infrastructure facilities for passengers, and added infrastructure will also help the airport get more flights to different cities
Ghaziabad: The rates for the 6.8 hectares of land proposed to be purchased for the expansion of the Hindon civil terminal are likely to be finalised this month, the Ghaziabad district administration officials said on Thursday.
The civil terminal at Sikandarpur, which uses the runway of the Indian Air Force (IAF) base at Hindon, is spread over an area of about 22,050 square metres (sqms) and currently takes up about 34 takeoffs and landings of flights.
Earlier this year, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) had put forward a requirement of about 8.4 hectares of land for expansion, but a survey by the local administration revealed the existence of Abadi land and residential structures at Sikandarpur village. Finally, a requirement of 6.8 hectares of land was proposed under a revised plan.
“The process for taking up consent of 42 farmers is underway, and only five consents are pending. The process is in the final stages and likely to be received soon. A committee of officials has already held a meeting to brainstorm the rates to be offered to landowners for direct purchase of land. We will offer twice the rate of the prevailing circle rates as the land falls under the urban area,” said additional district magistrate (land acquisition) Vivek Mishra.
“A second meeting of the committee will be held in the coming days, and the land purchase rates will be finalised. It is likely that the final rates will be issued in November itself. Thereafter, the process for taking up land will begin,” Mishra added.
The civil terminal currently has a footfall of about 4,500 passengers with 34 landings and takeoffs. Certain flights have been suspended due to winter, while several other flights have been shut down due to closure of operations by an airline, officials said.
“The matter related to land purchase for the expansion of the airport is in the final stages and is being taken up by the Ghaziabad district administration,” said an AAI official.
Under the expansion plan, the AAI aims to add more infrastructure facilities for passengers, and added infrastructure will also help the airport get more flights to different cities.
AAI officials said that currently they have only two parking bays for incoming and outgoing aircraft, and in case of any delays, the effect is witnessed on other incoming and outgoing flights.
During his visit to the civil airport on September 17, the Union civil aviation minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu said that the Hindon airport was fast developing and expansion plans were underway. “The terminal is saturated, and we have planned to expand it. We are also in talks with the Indian Air Force to increase terminal bays,” he added.
