Host of hiccups delay Navi Mumbai International Airport by another few months

MUMBAI: The Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) project has been delayed by another few months. After being in planning stage for two decades, construction

MUMBAI: The Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) project has been delayed by another few months. After being in planning stage for two decades, construction was slated to begin at the start of next year. But delays in obtaining a forest clearance, the re-entry of a bidder, and the cancellation of a pre-construction work contract have forced the City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) to postpone the submission date for bids by two months, to November 7. This means construction is unlikely to begin before mid-next year and first phase is unlikely to be operational by 2019 end.

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“We had no option but to extend the date for submitting bids to give the new bidder (a consortium comprising Hiranandani Group and Zurich Airport) enough time to prepare. We are working on various options to ensure that this does not affect the schedule,” said an official, who did not wish to be named. The Ministry of Home Affairs had denied security clearance to the Hiranandani Group-Zurich Airport consortium at the start of 2016, forcing it to pull out.

After receiving the bids Cidco may take two to three months to study them and finalise the developer. After doing so, it will still need the approval of the Centre to appoint the developer.

The decision of the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) to hold off on final forest clearance is another factor in the delay. Cidco also cancelled a pre-construction work contract for hill cutting, land levelling and river diversion after the contractor reportedly did not fulfil the necessary criteria. Now, Cidco has merged two packages of pre-construction projects and issued fresh tenders.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was present when the MoU was signed, said the two agencies will now devise a strategy to work together. “The MoU paves the way for a longer journey. Both sides will now prepare an implementation strategy to make the MoU fruitful,” Fadnavis said.

CIDCO officials said the corporation will seek the Chinese company’s expertise in the detailed planning of certain pockets of NAINA, which is touted to be larger than Mumbai.

China Fortune Land Development, which has revenues of $11 billion, has helped plan and operate more than 40 industrial city developments in countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Egypt, Myanmar and the Philippines, among others.