MoEF gives green nod to Dholera airport

An SPV, Dholera International Airport Company, has been set up to develop the project

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) and climate change department (CCD) has awarded an environment clearance to the proposed Dholera airport in Ahmedabad district.

In its bid to set up a world-class greenfield airport at Dholera, the Gujarat government had earlier applied for environmental clearance from the central government.

As per an official statement by Gujarat government, a letter approving the airport was recently handed over by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest and Climate Change Department to the Dholera International Airport Company.

The special purpose vehicle (SPV), Dholera International Airport Company has been set up to develop the project by the state government.

According to the state government's statement, the project is also expected to receive in-principle approval from the Ministry of Civil Aviation of Government of India by January 2016.

Proposed to come up on an area of 1,426 hectare near Navagam in Ahmedabad district, the project will be developed in three phases with an estimated cost of around Rs 1,712 crore, of which the first phase will cost Rs 716 crore.

The proposed Dholera airport will cater to the regions of Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Nadiad, Kheda and Anand. Meanwhile, as per the statement, Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the central government on the development.