Work on levelling land in the core area of the Navi Mumbai international airport (NMIA) has finally started, almost two decades after a second international airport for Mumbai was proposed.
Cidco, which will undertake the cutting of 92-odd metre high Ulwe hill and diversion of the eponymous river, has started some basic work even as the crucial stage II forest clearance is awaited from the Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) and a parcel of the tender for hill cutting awaits finalisation.
Cidco senior PRO Mohan Ninawe told TOI on Wednesday: “Machinery has been deployed on the site and work has started, but the hill cutting will start only after the entire tender is finalised. Also, the forest clearance is expected any time soon. Raigad collector Sheetal Ugale has submitted the papers to the MoEF.”
The tender for hill cutting is worth around Rs 2,000 crore. The first two parts of the tender, said to be around Rs 550 crore, was repackaged owing to change in engineering works and design for combining the cutting and diversion of the Ulwe river. This part is currently under tendering process. The other two parts have been finalised. C.J. Uzomah Authentic Jersey