Navi Mumbai airport receives Stage II forest clearance; recommendation for grant for environmental clearance for Bhogapuram and Mumbai airports

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has granted Stage II forest clearance to the Navi Mumbai International Airport Project, Phase I. This has paved the way for ground works such as the cutting and levelling of the Ulwe Hill to commence. According to the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra, with the clearance in place,  the first terminal building and runway of the airport are likely to be completed before the scheduled deadline of December 2019. Meanwhile, in a separate development, the Expert Appraisal Committee of the MoEFCC has recommended the grant of environmental clearance/coastal regulation zone clearance for the development of a greenfield airport at Bhogapuram in Andhra Pradesh and the upgradation of Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. The two projects entail an investment of Rs 22.61 billion and Rs 34.24 billion respectively.