Mumbai, March 6: The 21-year-old dream of  Navi Mumbai airport became a reality when Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone on February 18, 2018. On Tuesday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis informed that the construction of one terminal building and a runway of the much-awaited Navi Mumbai international airport will be completed by the end of 2019.

While speaking in the state Assembly, Fadnavis said that airport will be built in two phases and the entire project is set to be completed in two or two-and-a half years. He said one terminal building of the airport and runway will be completed by December 2019 as part of the first phase. The Rs 16,700-crore Navi Mumbai airport was planned in 1997 as a secondary airport to meet the growing needs of Mumbai.

The Chief Minister further informed that the terminal building will have the capacity to handle 50 lakh passengers. The new airport with two parallel runways will measure 4,000 metres, each with two rapid exit taxiways. The new airport will have two entrances and exits. The GVK Group will invest nearly Rs 4,000 crore in the first phase. The southern tip of the runway will be built first as it lies at the base of Ulwe Hills.

The first phase is likely to be completed by the end of 2019, with one runway and the terminal building ready to handle up to 10 million passengers. The second phase, to be completed by 2022, will take the handling capacity to 25 million passengers. As per reports, the pre-development work is estimated to cost Rs 3,420 crore while the total package for compensation offered to the 3,500 project-affected families is around Rs 520 crore.

With an earlier investment of Rs 3,000 crore, the project was inordinately delayed due to a number of issues including political indecision, issues of environmental clearances and the funding.

Reports state that about ten villages in Navi Mumbai have been affected by the proposed airport while City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) has rehabilitated nearly 400 of the 3,500 affected families. Reports state that each family that has been affected by the mega-airport plan has been offered alternative plots, monetary compensation, construction aid, rent allowances and additional amenities in the Pushpak Nagar where they will be rehabilitated.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 06, 2018 06:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).