The first phase of the Noida international airport will be developed over 1,350 hectares instead of 1,334 hectares. The additional 16 hectares are being acquired in Kureb village directly from farmers, officials said, and will house a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) centre.
The requirement for additional land for the Jewar airport rose soon after Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL), the 100% subsidiary of concessionaire Zurich Airport International, submitted its master plan to Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL), the body established by the Uttar Pradesh government to oversee the development of the airport. Zurich airport has been awarded the 40-year concession rights to operate the Jewar airport.
Arun Vir Singh, CEO of the Yamuna Expressway Authority, and who also heads NIAL, said, ‘The airport will be developed over 1,350 hectares now. We have already begun work to aggregate the additional 16 hectares and officials are getting in touch with owners of the agricultural fields situated in Kureb village.’
NIAL’s nodal officer Shailendra Bhatia said, ‘The additional land will be used to set up the MRO centre. It will be the best and most advanced MRO centre in northern India and will improve the financial viability of the project for all the stakeholders.’
With the latest expansion, the first phase will cover seven villages under Jewar sub-division, which are: Rohi, Parohi, Ranhera, Dayanatpur, Kishorpur, Banwaribas, and now Kureb.
Additional district magistrate (land acquisition) Balram Singh said those displaced by the airport project have started building their houses in the Jewar Bangar township and by the end of June at least six villages will be vacated.
‘As Kureb was already notified under YEIDA, there was no need for the administration to step in and notify the act. Meanwhile, other villagers displaced by the airport project have also started building their houses in the Jewar Bangar township and by the end of this month, all the six villages will be vacated.’ said Singh.