Social impact assessment survey for airport township ready

GREATER NOIDA: The Gautam Buddha University (GBU) team has prepared and submitted to the government a social impact assessment (SIA) survey for 48 hectares of agricultural

GREATER NOIDA: The Gautam Buddha University (GBU) team has prepared and submitted to the government a social impact assessment (SIA) survey for 48 hectares of agricultural land, where an airport township is to be developed to rehabilitate farmers who have given up their land and houses for the proposed Noida international greenfield airport in Jewar, along the 165km Yamuna Expressway.

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The administration need the 48 hectares to develop the township, where all displaced villagers will be given built-up houses which will half the size of their existing houses. Officials said the houses are in addition to the money they would receive as compensation for land acquired at a rate of ₹2,500 per square metre as well employment for one member of each family.

Now, the administration will study the report and conduct a public hearing on December 19 to resolve any objections from the owners of the 48 hectares. After resolving all objections, the land acquisition for the township will begin, officials said. The owners of the 48 hectares, numbering about 200, were also paid a compensation at the rate ₹2,500 per square metres.

“Once all processes are completed, we will start acquiring the 48 hectares so that the rehabilitation of displaced farmers can be done,” Abhay Kumar Singh, subdivisional magistrate and nodal officer for the airport project, said.

In the SIA survey, the GBU team had collected data on the socio-economic status of each farmer whose land is to be acquired. It also determined how the acquisition will affect their livelihood and how the farmers should be rehabilitated.

The SIA report will be tabled before an expert committee,and with the comments from this committee, the report will be sent to the UP government for a final approval.

Once the state green lights the project, the administration will acquire the 48.097 hectares needed for the rehabilitation.

The Noida Internaitonal Airport Limited (NIAL) on November 29 finalised Zurich International AG as the developer of the proposed airport. The administration, NIAL and the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority need to ready the land so that Zurich can start at the site in February 2020.

The estimated budget for the Jewar airport project is ₹15,000-₹20,000 crore. The project is expected to become operational by 2022-23, as per the given deadlines.