NEW DELHI: Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad has urged the civil aviation ministry to classify the area impacted by Mumbai airport‘s runway funnel zone as “infrastructure affected.” In her communication to civil aviation minister K R Naidu, Varsha Gaikwad, who represents the Mumbai North Central parliamentary seat, highlighted that redevelopment of over 6,000 buildings in this zone is stalled due to height restrictions imposed by the ministry, affecting six to eight lakh residents in Vile Parle, Santacruz, Kurla, and Ghatkopar (West).
The funnel zone includes areas that align with airport runways and the specific paths flights follow while landing and taking off. The height restrictions in this zone have severely impacted the feasibility of numerous redevelopment projects.
“This has severely impacted the viability of several redevelopment projects, leaving six to eight lakh Mumbaikars residing in Vile Parle, Santacruz, Kurla and Ghatkopar (West) in a precarious situation. The stalled development projects are causing financial hardships to residents,” Gaikwad said.
Many of the affected buildings have been present before the establishment of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. These buildings are in urgent need of redevelopment, including slums in the area. Gaikwad emphasized there should be no compromise on airport safety, yet the issue faced by the families due to funnel zone restrictions must be considered.
“A number of these buildings have been in existence before the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport was built. These buildings are in urgent need of redevelopment. Redevelopment of slums too in this area is affected. There can be no compromise on the safety of operations at the airport but the government should consider the issue of families affected by the funnel zone restrictions.” Varsha Gaikwad added
Gaikwad also pointed out the need to relocate transmission towers and high-frequency communication systems in a manner that ensures the airport’s safety. She also called for reevaluating the funnel line without compromising safety.
She added that there is a delay in formulating a special redevelopment policy for this “infrastructure affected area,” urging the civil aviation ministry and Maharashtra government to promptly create such a policy.
“The policy should offer additional construction rights in form of TDR (Transferable Development Rights) to compensate for the loss of development to the extent of its full potential. There must be waiver of various construction premiums to make redevelopment projects in this region viable.”
Gaikwad’s call to action underlines the importance of balancing airport safety with the redevelopment needs of the affected communities, emphasizing collaboration between the civil aviation ministry and the Maharashtra government to address these issues expediently.
The funnel zone includes areas that align with airport runways and the specific paths flights follow while landing and taking off. The height restrictions in this zone have severely impacted the feasibility of numerous redevelopment projects.
“This has severely impacted the viability of several redevelopment projects, leaving six to eight lakh Mumbaikars residing in Vile Parle, Santacruz, Kurla and Ghatkopar (West) in a precarious situation. The stalled development projects are causing financial hardships to residents,” Gaikwad said.
Many of the affected buildings have been present before the establishment of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. These buildings are in urgent need of redevelopment, including slums in the area. Gaikwad emphasized there should be no compromise on airport safety, yet the issue faced by the families due to funnel zone restrictions must be considered.
“A number of these buildings have been in existence before the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport was built. These buildings are in urgent need of redevelopment. Redevelopment of slums too in this area is affected. There can be no compromise on the safety of operations at the airport but the government should consider the issue of families affected by the funnel zone restrictions.” Varsha Gaikwad added
Gaikwad also pointed out the need to relocate transmission towers and high-frequency communication systems in a manner that ensures the airport’s safety. She also called for reevaluating the funnel line without compromising safety.
She added that there is a delay in formulating a special redevelopment policy for this “infrastructure affected area,” urging the civil aviation ministry and Maharashtra government to promptly create such a policy.
“The policy should offer additional construction rights in form of TDR (Transferable Development Rights) to compensate for the loss of development to the extent of its full potential. There must be waiver of various construction premiums to make redevelopment projects in this region viable.”
Gaikwad’s call to action underlines the importance of balancing airport safety with the redevelopment needs of the affected communities, emphasizing collaboration between the civil aviation ministry and the Maharashtra government to address these issues expediently.