Numbers game

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2007 03:06:36 AM]

If democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it without let or hindrance, look no further than the gala Republic Day celebration on Rajpath in the Capital! Old timers recall that when the tradition began back in the year 1950, more than 60,000 people thronged India Gate to watch the parade and marchpast.

These days though, the hoi polloi at the event add up to no more than 5,000. And the numbers seem to be declining each passing year! Now, it is true that the total number of visitors and dignitaries in attendance does add up to 20,000 or thereabouts.

But they happen to be mostly free pass holders, thanks to the literally thousands of such invites handed out by bureaucrats and ministers. The increased security bandobast, traffic snarls, and the general difficulty in securing entry tickets all seem to have made the common citizen elect to stay indoors and watch it all on TV rather than actually braving it to the parade grounds. It may not be politically correct but the common man seems to be voting with his feet!

On discretion

With land acquisition turning into a political hot potato, Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan has become doubly cautious these days. He has decided that fertile land should not be acquired for SEZs no matter what, and state-government organisations should implement the projects without ruffling feathers in the least.

The extra caution is despite the fact that the state has got only three SEZ projects formally cleared. With former chief minister Babulal Gaur watching the scenario closely in his new avatar as industries minister of the state, and with the redoubtable Uma Bharati refusing to fade away despite her ouster from the BJP, an extra-cautious approach seems to be the better part of valour!

A change of direction?

While resistance from the Left has slammed the brakes on modernisation of the Kolkata airport with private participation, the lack of adequate land is holding up expansion of the Chennai airport.

Now, the Tamil Nadu government is keen to get the airport modernisation off the ground and is not averse to private participation. The Centre too is keen on carrying out Delhi and Mumbai type modernisation of the Chennai airport.

However, the state government is finding it tough to acquire more land near the airport as villagers and encroachers are putting up a stiff political resistance. While it was initially thought that the land issue would be sorted out sooner than later, civil aviation minister Praful Patel has come out with a googly of a rider: modernisation of Chennai and Kolkata airports should be done in one go.

Going by the mood of the Left parties, especially after Singur, the Chennai airport modernisation project could become a clear non-starter. With the expansion project jinxed, Third Eye learns that the Tamil Nadu government is now considering the option of a new greenfield airport outside the city!

Tailpiece

Who will be the new power secretary? While a number of hopefuls in the IAS brotherhood have lined up for the job, the grapevine has it that R V Shahi may spring a surprise yet again by getting another extension. It all depends on whether the powers that be want an IAS type in the hot seat after having experimented for long with a non-IAS hands-on person who is known to be a go-getter.

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Indecision holding up Chennai airport project

City Bureau

Need for consensus on the issue among political parties


An aircraft descending over the southern suburbs of Pozhichalur and Gowl Bazaar where local residents' protest against airport expansion plan is finding support from Opposition parties. — File photo

CHENNAI: A new terminal or a greenfield airport? Indecision over this issue is holding up plans for the expansion of the Chennai airport.

Late last year, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Praful Patel announced that a new package for the development of Chennai and Kolkata airports would be unveiled in three months. There has been no final decision on the shape of the new airport here.

All that Meenambakkam and its environs have seen of late are agitations over the speculated land acquisition for a new airport project.

Enquiries with the Aviation and Airport authorities here reveal that the ball now lies in the State Government's court.

It is up to the administration here to finalise the shape.

Several options


Airport sources point to several options before the State and the Union Aviation Ministry or the Airports Authority of India.

Though the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Government was very keen on clinching the airport project early, the land acquisition issue has emerged as a major controversy.

The Pattali Makkal Katchi, an ally of the ruling party, has come out categorically in favour of the agitating people who do not want to lose their land and houses.

Official sources now say that only a consensus among all the political parties on the shape and location of the project can move it forward.

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Ramadoss comes to rescue of residents
Saturday January 20 2007 10:14 IST Indian Express

CHENNAI: The residents of Pammal, Pozhichalur, Anakaputhur and Cowl Bazaar, which are under the cloud of a proposed airport expansion, saw a saviour in PMK founder Dr S Ramadoss, when he promised to join their struggle should any ‘wrong decisions’ be made, on Friday.

While talking to residents in a meeting organised by the Struggle Committee of Pozhichalur, Anakaputhur, Cowl Bazaar and Pammal, at Pallavaram, Ramadoss said the PMK would not allow either land acquisition or displacement of people for the project.

The PMK was the first party to take up the issue of the Special Economic Zones (SEZ) creating problems for residents in specific areas, he further said. Ramadoss said he supported the idea of a greenfield airport, for which tracts of vacant land outside the city in Oragadam and Sriperumbudur could be used.

He also suggested an elevated road connecting the airport with the city. This greenfield airport should be constructed only by the Civil Aviation Ministry and the Airports Authority of India and not by any private parties, he opined.

Highlighting the fact that present land rules were framed during the British rule, he said only some modifications were introduced in the 1960s. However, the State had no right to acquire resident’s land without their consent, he remarked.

As for the present controversy, Ramadoss hoped that Chief Minister M Karunanidhi would never act against the interests of the common people. The residents who spoke to the leader faulted the State and Central Governments for not taking the initiative to solve the issue through dialogue, though it had been simmering for about a year.

They asserted that they were not against the expansion, but only against acquiring residential area, where most of the people had houses which were their sole asset.

PMK opposes land acquisition plan



PLEDGING SUPPORT: PMK leader S. Ramadoss (left) listens to a resident of Pozhichalur, a southern suburb of Chennai on Friday.

CHENNAI: Pattali Makkal Katchi leader S. Ramadoss on Friday pledged his support to the residents of Pozhichalur, Pammal, Anakaputhur and Gowl Bazaar areas, who are protesting against the land acquisition scheme for expanding the Chennai airport.

His party would neither allow displacement of the people nor acquisition of land belonging to them, he told the people in the suburban colony.

Viable solution


He said a new greenfield airport outside the city limits with elevated road connectivity was a viable solution.

Such an airport could be built on several hundred acres of vacant land, classified as `poramboke,' available in the Oragadam and Sriperumbudur areas.

Instead of handing over the project to private players, the Civil Aviation Ministry and the Airports Authority of India should build the new airport themselves. Stating that Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi would never take a decision that would harm the interests of the people, he blamed officials for providing false information and preparing wrong plans. "Be assured... we will not allow airport expansion in your areas," the PMK leader told the gathering.

His party would join their struggle if any "wrong decisions" were taken.

The residents were not against expansion of the airport, but only against the manner in which land was proposed to be acquired.

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Govt. for expansion of Meenambakkam airport

New Delhi, .Jan 9 (PTI): Disagreeing with a proposal for a second greenfield airport at Chennai, the Centre has suggested expansion of the Meenambakkam airport and constructing a second runway to cater to the growing aviation needs of the southern metropolis.

The consultants for the airport expansion programme have recommended that a second runway be constructed on the other side of Adayar river and a new terminal building built between the two runways, official sources said here.

The Tamil Nadu government would look into the land acquisition requirements as per the recommendations of the consultants, they said.

While the state government wanted to have a greenfield airport and had shortlisted two sites at Oraguddam and Sriperumbudur areas, the Civil Aviation Ministry opined that if a greenfield airport was constructed, the existing airport would have to be closed down to make the greenfield project economically viable.

The continuance of the existing airport would deter private parties from investing in the greenfield airport, the sources said.

The Ministry also opined that considerable amount of investment has already been made at the Meenambakkam airport and urged the state government to sort out the hurdles coming in the way of land acquisition, they said.

The proposal for the expansion of Meenambakkam entails acquiring of 583 hectares of land on the northern side and adjacent to the existing airport. However, the acquisition proposal has hit rough waters due to large number of cases filed against any such move.





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Action in the skies to continue

Raghvendra Rao

Posted online: Wednesday, January 03, 2007 at 0000 hrs IST

NEW DELHI, january 2
Airlines running into losses worth crores notwithstanding, the year 2006 will be best remembered for growth that the sector witnessed: 48 per cent in domestic passenger traffic and 32 per cent in total domestic aircraft movement (191,150 aircraft movements recorded between April-June). Government figures put the number of domestic passengers carried till November 2006 at 29 million, a record. Many feel that this is the kind of growth which will drive the civil aviation sector in 2007.

The year may begin with the tabling of the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) Bill in the Budget session of Parliament. Once cleared, AERA will approve tariff structure of airport charges including air navigation charges and will monitor preset performance standards for airports with an idea to promote a level playing field. Air navigation charges levied by Airports Authority of India (AAI) will also be subject to AERA’s approval.

Next in line, and perhaps the most awaited development in 2007, would be the merger of both the national carriers Air India and Indian Airlines into a single entity. If all goes as planned, the country could get a unified carrier under a new brand name, new identity.

Similarly, the subsidiaries of both carriers — Air India Express and Alliance Air — would also be merged to have a new unified subsidiary catering to low-cost operations. The merger, aimed at optimising fleet acquisition and leverage the asset base of both carriers, would figure high on the government’s agenda with civil aviation minister Praful Patel making it clear that he wants the merger to go through before the end of this fiscal.

Meanwhile, out of its total order of 68 new Boeing aircraft, Air India will receive 15 Boeings to add to its current fleet size of 44. Indian Airlines, too, will get seven Airbus aircraft delivered between June and December next year taking its fleet size to 81.

Having successfully pushed for the modernisation and restructuring of Delhi and Mumbai airports by involving private players, the government will also take a final call on the modernisation of Chennai and Kolkata airports. While the West Bengal government has already conveyed to the Centre that it want AAI to execute the works, the M. Karunanidhi led DMK government in Tamil Nadu has been pushing to get it done through the model followed for Delhi and Mumbai.However, with land being a major constraint in Chennai, the government may also explore possibilities to have a greenfield airport there.

The government is also going to complete the bidding process and selection of joint venture partners for constructing the new greenfield airport at Navi Mumbai next year. The shape of 35 non-metro airports is also likely to improve next year with AAI planning to shell out Rs 4,662 crore to refurbish airside and city side areas. Airports in the north east are also likely to see major development works next year.

Batting strongly for the need to have better regional connectivity, Patel has already made clear his ministry’s intentions to develop airstrips in some of the lesser known areas of the country. This year may see work begin to develop airstrips at places like Ajmer, Mount Abu, Behala, Cooch Behar, Jharsuguda, Malda, Muzaffarpur, Kamalpur, Kailashar, Passighat, Rupsi, Akola, Hassan and Mysore.

Aircraft maintenance and overhaul is expected to get a big boost in 2007, with Boeing setting up maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities at Nagpur with an estimated investment of $100 million.

But it is the flip side of this growth which the government could do well to address in 2007. So, while it may allow more carriers to fly in Indian skies, severe congestion at major airports, prompting airlines to levy a ‘congestion surcharge’ and rising aviation turbine fuel costs would be the ghosts from the past which the government may need to get rid of this year.


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