Date:07/03/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/03/07/stories/2007030704651000.htm

Opinion - Editorials

Reviewing policy on new airports

At a time when a number of projects for the construction of new airports or expansion of existing ones are in an advanced stage of consideration by the Government of India, the question of land acquisition remains as intractable a hurdle as ever. Faced with the problem, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Praful Patel wants the Planning Commission and the Centre to review the policy in this regard. Also mindful of the fact that many of the proposed Special Economic Zones (SEZs) have run aground because of the controversies over land acquisition, Mr. Patel would like to have that sensitive issue sorted out, lest all the airport projects are stalled — as it has happened in cases such as Chennai. Again, a fundamental question has arisen: should the State government get involved in the land acquisition process, or should it be left to the private sector promoter/partner to handle? In other words, Mr. Praful Patel wonders if priority should be given to a developer who has the requisite land to build the airport. Perhaps, the government is veering round to the view that land acquisition and compensation are matters best left to the private players, with the state extending support, instead of the State governments getting involved directly. This may be the lesson from several of the new projects, including Singur in West Bengal.

Mr. Patel, the Planning Commission, and the Centre must realise that an airport project differs from an SEZ in several ways. Quite apart from the safety and security aspects, the nature of the acquisition itself is different in that the land is sought for building infrastructure for public use and not for being allotted to private enterprises. An airport project is not the same as real estate development to be left in the hands of a promoter. The States may be in a better position to understand the needs and implications. Among the metropolitan cities, work has just begun on the redevelopment of international airports only in New Delhi and Mumbai, and it will take a few years for the projects to be completed. At long last, the Civil Aviation Ministry hopes to firm up the plans for the Kolkata and Chennai airports. Work has commenced also on greenfield projects for Bangalore and Hyderabad. The Airports Authority of India has launched a major programme to expand and modernise about 35 domestic airports across the country. Without wasting any more time, the Planning Commission and the Centre must finalise a viable land acquisition policy as promised by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. This could be applied to any of the large or mega projects in all sectors.