Greater Noida International airport plan to get go-ahead?

Mahesh Sharma told the paper that he would discuss the issue with the UP government while expecting that proposal might be finalised within a month.

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: A long-pending proposal of the Uttar Pradesh government to set up a greenfield international airport at Greater Noida has gained fresh momentum after GautamBudhNagar MP Mahesh Sharma said that he will "explore the possibility of setting up the project", a daily newspaper reported on Wednesday.

Sharma, the chairman and MD of Kailash Healthcare Limited, is synonymous with the chain of hospitals in Uttar Pradesh, took oath as minister of state (independent charge) in the Narendra Modi government's civil aviation ministry recently.

Sharma told the paper that he would discuss the issue with the UP government while expecting that proposal might be finalised within a month.

In 2001, then CM Rajnath Singh had proposed setting up of an airport in Greater Noida. Later, the UP government under CM Mayawati wanted to build the airport at Jhevar near Greater Noida which is about 60 kms from Delhi and 120 kms from Agra.

Mayawati's government had identified 1,500 hectares for the project, which is estimated, to cost about Rs. 5,000 crore and had submitted a techno-economic feasibility report to the Centre.

The matter had been discussed by an earlier GoM set up by the UPA-I regime, which could not reach a conclusion.

A major reason for this was the objection raised on the issue by the GMR-led consortium, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) that operates the Delhi airport.

It had cited its Operations Management and Development Agreement with the Airports Authority of India, quoting existing rules to say that no airport can be built within 150 km of the IGI airport at Delhi.