In the first phase, a southern runway and terminal building will be constructed. (Source: File Photo) In the first phase, a southern runway and terminal building will be constructed. (Source: File Photo)

RACING against the December 2018 deadline to complete the ground work for Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), senior City Industrial and Development Corporation (CIDCO) officials said almost 60 per cent of land-filling has been completed for phase I of the project. Work on building the first runway should begin by January 2019, they said.

In the first phase, a southern runway and terminal building will be constructed. Senior CIDCO officials said 45 hectare from the close to 496 hectare of land required for the first phase remains to be acquired.

“Almost 60 per cent of the ground filling work in land packages 1 and 2 for the first phase has been completed. Around 80,477 cubic metre of land is required to be filled in by December 2018 for the two packages. We are sure of completing those in the next two months, as up to three per cent of the land is getting filled on a daily basis,” a senior CIDCO official said.

Ulwe mountain, at 92 metres, is required to be cut to the ground level for the project. The soil acquired will be used for land filling and the ground has to be levelled at a height of 5.8 cubic metre.

“Almost 70 per cent of blasting work has been completed,” a CIDCO official said.

In July 2018, CIDCO signed an agreement with GVK-led Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) that won the bid to build the airport. The ground work is being supervised by MIAL.

“Almost 90 per cent of the families affected in five villages have moved out. We are only required to vacate 277 homes, which we will do soon,” the CIDCO official added.

A senior CIDCO official said they have promised the local people to conduct the blasts within the permissible limits.

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