Fast Forward: UP govt notifies phase 3 expansion of Noida Airport

Noida/New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh government has issued a notification to carry out the 'social impact assessment' (SIA) for acquisition of another 2,053 hectare land for the third phase expansion of the upcoming Noida International Airport (NIA) in Jewar, according to officials.

A total of 1,888 hectare of land from 14 villages in Jewar tehsil of Gautam Buddh Nagar is to be acquired, and the SIA is scheduled to be carried out by Gautam Buddh University and completed by this August 30, Arun Vir Singh, the CEO of Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL) said.

"The notification for acquisition of 2,053 hectare of land for the third phase expansion of the airport was issued last week. Land for the first phase (1,365 hectares) and second phase (1,334 hectares) has already been acquired," said Singh, who is also the CEO of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA).

"As per the development plan of the airport, three runways would be developed in the third phase of the project, in addition to three runways that would be built during the first and the second phases of construction," the IAS officer said.

Currently, the first phase construction work for the airport is underway and is scheduled to be completed for commercial operations by September 2024.

Yamuna International Airport Private limited (YIAPAL), a fully-owned subsidiary of Swiss firm Zurich Airport International AG, is developing the public-private Greenfield airport, some 75 km off Delhi.

The land for the third phase will be acquired after consent from the land owners under provisions of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Uttar Pradesh) Rules, 2016, according to the notification.

The villages which will be impacted by the acquisition are Thora, Neemka Shahjahanpur, Khwajapur, Ramner, Kishorpur, Banwaribans, Parohi, Mukimpur Shiwara, Jewar Bangar, Sabauta Mustafabad, Ahmadpur Chauroli, Dayanatpur, Bankapur, and Rohi, -- totalling 1,888.90 hectares of the total 2,053 hectares to be acquired, it said.

"There will be structural development of the industrial infrastructure, employment opportunities will increase and manufacturing and exports will be encouraged.

"The expansion of the airport will facilitate air traffic along with rapid growth in tourism," stated the notification, published on order of Governor Anandiben Patel.

The Noida International Airport (NIA) is being developed in four phases and is billed to be the largest in India upon completion.

When completed, in the mid-2040s, the airport will be spread over an area of around 5,000 hectares, with multiple runways along with two terminal buildings and an annual passenger capacity of 1.2 crore.

The airport will also have facilities for cargo and MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) services, according to officials.

The NIA would be the national capital region's third airport for commercial operations after Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) and Ghaziabad's Hindon air base.

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