Three days after the Navi Mumbai International Airport Pvt Limited (NMIAL) letter asking for building height details caused homeowners and campaigners to get alarmed, NMIAL said that this was standard operating procedure. In order to ensure that the building in question complies with the terms of the notice sent by the Central Government and DGCA, it stated that the owner will have a chance to be heard.
The residents claimed that the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s notification about height limitations within a 20-kilometer radius of an airfield was cited by the NMIAL in their request for information. NMIAL discovered that several structures are not adhering to the height regulations during an aeronautical survey they conducted last year.
The letter requested information about the Nivaan Grande CHS at New Seawoods, Nerul, including the building’s top height, the dates of its construction and completion, a copy of the occupancy certificate, the sanctioned building plan, the World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS 84) coordinates—which use latitude, longitude, and ellipsoidal height to indicate positions on Earth—a copy of the Airports Authority of India’s no objection certificate, and any other pertinent details.
While concerned residents have addressed their grievances, Alert residents Team convenor and activist B N Kumar asked as to why NMIAL had generated friction among the people with such letters. He brought this letter to the notice of NMMC and the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), who had granted the occupancy certificates. He questioned why the NMIAL was contacting the residents directly.
Recalling that the Airport Surveillance Radar (ASR) had been moved from the vicinity of the DPS school in Nerul to Dhakale Island in Belapur, Kumar said that CIDCO, the organisation overseeing the airport project, had rejoiced. This action was intended to remove all 55-meter height restrictions, allowing for the erection of structures taller than 16 stories.
Indeed, the AAI’s decision to move the ASR was hailed by the then-Managing Director of CIDCO as a citizen-friendly initiative that would facilitate the smooth completion of the airport and the growth of Navi Mumbai as well as the entire MMR. Kumar recollected, calling the NMIAL missive nothing more than unfavourable to citizens, according to the activist.
Source: The Free Press Journal
