The maximum city is looking for many infrastructural changes and the Navi Mumbai Airport is a new initiative in boosting growth around Mumbai. A new airport is a great initiative and the construction of which is likely to take off in October, has made Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) the next hot spot and it is a boost for Mumbai. Navi Mumbai International Airport will be a gateway to the new opportunities for the development and will attract high value investments. The project will definitely increase commerce and employment, generating new job directly and indirectly. The airport will enable the state government to enhance the economic stature of both Navi Mumbai and Mumbai Metropolitan area. Navi Mumbai International Airport is planned with a minimum passenger capacity of about 60 million passengers per annum and cargo capacity of 1.5 million tonnes per annum. The dream come true project will promise to improve connectivity in these areas.
Work on the new airport at Navi Mumbai would be completed by the end of 2019 as per City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) and it is a welcome news. The much awaited International Airport project in Navi Mumbai gained momentum as most of the disgruntled villagers have given clearance for the prestigious airport project. So an opening has been given to work on the project on the later date with the consent of the people, who owns part of the land in their names passed on to the government. It is a significant success and goes a long way towards making this dream project come true. Safety should be given utmost importance to make CIDCO’s priorities best solutions.
Apart from a hi-tech airport, care must be taken to form a runway that does have the mandatory side strips to cushion planes in case of skids or crashes. Accurate markings near parking bays will have to be provided for take off, landing and taxing. Many minor collisions involving aircraft and ground vehicles could be avoided by making proper and accurate markings. The height of the hangers is also a problem as some of them exceed the permissible limit. It affects the movement of a big aircraft like the Air Bus A-380. The exact height will have to be determined and corrective measures have to be taken to set right the shortcomings. To overcome all these problems and to curtail congestion, an International Airport with sufficient space for landing big planes should build up in Navi Mumbai.
The satellite city has sufficient space to follow all the guidelines given by the Airport Authority of India and International Civil Aviation Organisation. Modern International Airport in Navi Mumbai must be ready at the earliest to reduce the air traffic congestion at the Mumbai airport. After the deluge and flooding of the Mumbai Airport during the year 2005, it is high time to think in terms of an early finish of the Navi Mumbai airport with all the amenities needed for the International airport of high standards.
The radar failure, which delays the flights landing and hovering around the airport should be avoided and proper infrastructure should be provided in the new airport. During monsoon season in Mumbai, we come across many more regular cancellation and delays. Passengers are put into discomfiture and the chaos causes total confusion. Parking problem persists in many airports and the flying machines will have to shed more fuel because of the confusion. Several flights are lined up for take offs and landing are hit due to low visibility during heavy rains. The main problem with the International airports in India is traffic congestion. Safety should be the first option if a big airplane lands in the new airstrip at Navi Mumbai.
It is high time to give a facelift to all the roads leading to the proposed Airport near Panvel. The work in clearing platforms is progressing rather slowly. The various agencies dig the roads in their own way and dig the graveyard for pedestrians and road users. Roads in Navi Mumbai need proper maintenance so as to give the new airport a smooth approach and best drive. We are destined to become a smart city and we hope that the airport and other infrastructure facilities will see Maharashtra becoming India’s first $1 trillion economy soon.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
