Mumbai: Over 50,000 families are being affected by the expansion of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA), pointed out a legislator representing the Vile Parle constituency, in which the airport is located.
People have been living on the periphery of the airport for over 40 years whilst the nearby Sahar village has been around for over 300 years, legislator Krishna Hegde said while bringing the issue to the notice of the Maharashtra legislative assembly on Tuesday.
"In spite of several reminders, neither the GVK nor Housing Development and Infrastructure Limited [HDIL], the companies undertaking the modernisation programme, have given the blueprint and plans to the elected representatives of the area — that is Priya Dutt, MP, and me," he said.
Hegde said there was a move afoot to force local residents out with 125 acres of land being being given to HDIL for commercial exploitation out of 250 acres originally allocated for the airport's expansion.
He called for the protection of all surrounding structures built until 2000 to be protected.
He suggested that it would be practical to carve out an area of 15 to 20 acres to rehabilitate the people who had been living in the airport's vicinity all along instead of giving away the entire land for commercial exploitation.
He urged chief minister Ashok Chavan to convene a meeting of elected representatives, bureaucrats, GVK and HDIL to ensure that the airport project was clear and transparent to all. Chavan in his reply said he would look into all aspects of the airport modernisation programme and assured that he would call a joint meeting.
