AAI floats tenders, approves lease rate for land near Hindon airbase

Decision soon on whether land will be acquired or taken on lease from farmers. The land will be used for constructing entry/exit points and a waiting area for passengers.

The plan for operating regional flights from Hindon airbase, as part of the regional connectivity scheme (RCS), is progressing at a fast pace.

The facility is intended to meet a demand of 200 peak hour passengers. (Sakib Ali /HT Photo)

The officials of the Ghaziabad district administration said on Friday that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has already floated tenders for the project.

District magistrate Ritu Maheshwari attended a meeting with state government officials and said a decision will soon be taken on the 19,000 square metres of land needed for constructing a major road to the project area.

“The AAI has already floated tenders for terminal facilities. The airports authority has also approved the rate for leasing land near the airbase and we had forwarded this to the state government. The state government has already approved the lease rate. A decision will soon be taken on whether the land for the road will be acquired or taken on lease from farmers,” Maheshwari said.

The e-tenders, for the construction of a pre-engineered airport terminal building and associated works on a design-and-build basis, have been floated by AAI. The project is estimated to cost ₹45.4 crore with a completion time frame of four months.

The procurement of land on lease is vital to the project as the regional connectivity scheme will help operate flights from Hindon, thereby easing the burden on the already congested Delhi airport.

The land will be used for constructing entry/exit points and a waiting area for passengers. Only the runway of the airbase will be used for the flights.

The facility is intended to meet a demand of 200 peak hour passengers.

However, some of the farmers have not yet agreed to the rate finalised by the UP government and the AAI. The negotiations reached a deadlock after farmers quoted a lease rent price of ₹1.5 crore per annum while the AAI quoted ₹10 lakh per annum, officials said.

“The rate finalised for lease are not acceptable to us. My family has nearly 25 bighas of land, which is required for
the RCS project. We are yet to agree to lease our land for the project,” Abhishek Garg, a landholder, said.

According to officials, 90% of the land identified in Sikandarpur belongs to farmers while the remaining 10% is with UP Awas Vikas, a state government agency. Officials said an additional 35 acres will be required for future expansions.

The additional piece of land, which is being considered, will be used for development of a full-fledged civil enclave, including apron facilities.