NAVI MUMBAI: For eight months since Cidco closed the finance bid for the Navi Mumbai airport , it seemed the project had been put on the back burner. And then this month, the project-affected villagers went on a strike, the state cabinet approved the project deal, and Cidco broke the deadlock to resume work.So, why was there a sudden flurry of activity, and how did the work resume? Sources say turf war between BJP and Shiv Sena helped the work gain speed. On October 12, residents of 10 villages in the core airport area launched a protest over apprehensions about having to leave their homes by October 17, the deadline to avail the 18-month rental scheme— rent till their houses are built. Cidco says that out of the 2,771 plots planned, 1,977 have been developed. “The villagers resolved not to move out till all the plots were developed,” said PWP leader Vivek Patil.As authorities failed to resolve the issue, the Sena, sources claim, stepped in. The Sena with the help of PWP threatened to dig the airport pitch if the villagers’ demands are not addressed.Sources say this threatened to cause embarrassment to the BJP when the party is firing on all cylinders on infrastructure development. But CM Devendra Fadnavis ensured that the work was back on track. On October 24, the cabinet gave the final approval for the finance deal. And three days later, marathon talks between Cidco brass, the local MP, MLAs and the villagers broke deadlock, working out a mixed solution: hill operations under police protection while Cidco will not force villagers to leave, rather speed up the rehabilitation work.