Gandhinagar

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of the union government has given environmental clearance to the ambitious Dholera International Airport proposed to be set up at Navagam village in Ahmedabad district of Gujarat in three phases at an estimated project cost of Rs 1712 crore.

The Defense ministry had already given its no objection certificate pertaining to construction work while the Civil Aviation ministry had given site clearance for the proposed world class airport to be set up in sprawling 1426 hectare area last year. The Dholera International Airport Company, made by the state government for the purpose, will construct the airport in three phases. As per the Airport Authority of India’s report the cost on the first phase would be Rs 716 crore.

Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government for the environmental clearance, Gujarat Chief Minister Mrs. Anandiben Patel today said that along with the Special Investment Region (SIR) in Dholera people from areas like Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Nadiyad and Aanand would also benefit from the airport.

Now certain ‘in principle’ approvals from the Civil Aviation Ministry remains to be obtained which in all likelihood will be given by January next year.

– DeshGujarat

PTI story: Gujarat government’s ambitious Dholera airport project at Navagam village near the city has received environmental clearance from the Centre.

The Central Forest, Environment and Climate Change department has communicated the same through a letter sent to the Dholera International Airport Company, a Special Purpose Vehicle created by the state government, an official release stated.

Upon receiving the clearance, Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi on behalf of people of Gujarat, the release said.

The proposed airport project, which is part of proposed Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR), will come up in 1,426 hectares of land near Navagam at a cost of Rs 1,712 crores.

This project of building a world-class airport, about 30 kms from here, will be developed in three phases. As per the project report prepared by the Airport Authority of India (AAI), Rs 716 crore would be spent in the first phase of the project, the release stated.

Apart from catering to the needs of Dholera SIR, this multipurpose airport project would also cater to nearby cities of Vadodara, Anand, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Nadiad.

The project has already received a no-objection certificate from Ministry of Defence in 2014, while the Civil Aviation Ministry has also given ‘site clearance’ in the past.

After this environmental clearance, the state government hopes to get in-principle approvals from the Civil Aviation Ministry by January next year, the release said.