Cidco to draw first land lottery for Navi Mumbai airport displaced soon

Of the 1,600 hectares to be utilised for the airport, 671 hectares of private land is yet to be acquired

In a significant development, villagers opposing the Navi Mumbai international airport project are falling in line and have agreed to give their letter of consent for the acquisition of 671 hectares of land to the City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco).

Enthused by the villagers’ change of mind, Cidco, the nodal agency for the airport project, has announced that the first lottery for allotment of 22.5 per cent of land as compensation to project affected persons (PAPs) would be drawn on August 15 at Pushpaknagar, Dapoli near National Highway No. 4B. The possession of the plot would be given once the Pushpaknagar land, where the PAPs are to be rehabilitated, is developed.

Cidco has launched the land filling and levelling of Pushpaknagar and has also started a geographical survey of villages adopting the rehabilitation package. Cidco has already hinted that the airport’s first phase would be operational by December 2018. It has extended the time for submission of requests for qualification till July 30.

Of the 1,600 hectares of land to be utilised for the airport, 671 hectares of private land is yet to be acquired. According to the rehablitation package announced by the state government in November last year, Cidco will allot 22.5 per cent of developed plots as compensation to those, whose land has been acquired for the project. This apart, an average of 2 floor space index will be granted for the development of these plots. Financial assistance would be provided to those losing their homes.

Explaining the process of “land to land” compensation, Cidco vice-chairman and managing director Sanjay Bhatia told Business Standard: “We are receiving an encouraging response from villagers and almost 90 per cent of them in the core airport area surveyed so far have extended their support for the project.” He informed that so far, 70 villagers had given their consent letters and Pargaon villagers (who were so far reluctant to receive the rehabilitation package) had also given their consent. The opposition for land acquisition was now restricted to a few pockets and Cidco was hopeful to bring them on board, he added.

“The PAPs have to submit consent letters for the compensation rehabilitation and resettlement package by July 23 to Cidco. Only those PAPs, who have submitted consent letters and relevant documents, will be eligible to be included in the first lottery,” Bhatia said.

However, R C Gharat, chief negotiator for PAPs, said Cidco would have to simultaneously address pending issues with regard to the allotment of 12.5 per cent of land to PAPs, whose land has been acquired for various projects in the past.

Cidco’s joint managing director V Radha said the entire rehabilitation process was being done through negotiations and only after securing consent letters.