The Hindu Business Line : Delhi, Mumbai airports revamp plan to be referred to panel

THE empowered Group of Ministers (e-GoM) today decided to refer the modernisation and restructuring programme for the Delhi and Mumbai airports to a five-member committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary.

The Committee has been given two weeks time to submit its report to the Government. The other members include the Secretaries of Ministry of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Law, Department of Economic Affairs and Member Secretary of the Planning Commission, the Minister for Civil Aviation, Mr Praful Patel, told newspersons after the meeting.

The e-GoM has, however, categorically stated that there would be no change in the criterion laid down in the Request for Proposal that were issued when the bidding process started earlier this year.

The new committee will go through the reports of the Inter-Ministerial Group and the Government Review Committee before taking a final decision on how the Government should go about modernising the two airports. The modernisation programme is now likely to be completed by January 15 against the earlier deadline of December 31.

Earlier in the day, the Left parties met the Prime Minister who assured them that their apprehensions about the airport project would be conveyed to the e-GoM. The Left has all along been demanding the scrapping of the process and has suggested that the Government look at the greenfield route for developing the airports in the two cities.

The Government has received six bids for Delhi airport and five for Mumbai. The six bidders for Delhi include GMR and operators of Frankfurt airport, Fraport, Reliance along with ASA Mexico, D.S. Construction-up with the Munich airport, Macquarie with Airport de Paris, the Essel Group in association with Turkish airport operator TAV.

The GVK group with the South African Airport has bid only for Mumbai airport.