Greater Noida: Obstacle survey for Jewar airport to begin from May 15

Setting up of the airport had been one of BJP’s poll promises in the recent state elections

A team from RITES Limited, the consulting arm of Indian Railways, on Tuesday visited the office of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (Yeida) in Greater Noida to discuss the obstacle limitation survey (OLS) that needs to be conducted for the site of the proposed Jewar airport.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath had on April 7 directed officials to expedite work on the project. (Burhaan Kinu/HT Representational Photo)

RITES will begin its survey from May 15 and complete the same within a month, before other procedures for the project can take off, said officials.

“The civil aviation ministry will approve the site only after going through the OLS report. We will provide all the assistance required for conducting the survey,” said Arun Vir Singh, chief executive officer, Yeida.

On April 26, Yeida had agreed, in principle, to fund an OLS of the airport site.

In the survey, details of overhead electricity lines, religious sites, minarets, tall and old trees, highrise buildings, ponds, rivers and wildlife habitat related to the site for the proposed airport will be detailed.

Yeida officials had received a letter from the department director of Uttar Pradesh civil aviation, Devendra Swarup, asking the authority to provide funds for OLS.

“We are paying Rs1.25 crore for the OLS that will be conducted by experts of RITES. It is an important exercise for setting up the airport. Once OLS is conducted and the civil aviation ministry clears the site, we will begin land acquisition for the project,” said Singh.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had promised an airport at Jewar near the 165-km Yamuna Expressway in its state election manifesto. Chief minister Yogi Adityanath had on April 7 directed officials to expedite work on the project.