Sunday, November 30, 2008

Airport wall floods surrounding areas

Airport wall floods surrounding areas
V Ayyappan TNN

Chennai: Residents of Manapakkam and Kolapakkam are in deep trouble, thanks to the flood prevention steps taken by the airport. Located on the north western side of the airport and sandwiched between Adyar river and Porur lake, these neighbourhoods have become inundated by floodwater. Stormwater and an overflowing Adyar river have already flooded the river-end of the secondary runway. However, flood will not affect airport operations as the secondary runway is not used regularly.

During heavy rain the overflowing water from Porur lake flows through these neighbourhoods and into the Adyar river. The airport authorities have built a wall to prevent the water from entering their ground. This has resulted in obstructing the water flow causing water logging in the residential areas of Manapakkam, Kolapakkam and Mogalivakkam.When Chembarampakkam reservoir was opened, water from Adyar river started flowing towards the residential areas in Manapakkam and even Porur.

Brinda Brighton, a resident of Manapakkam — one of the neighbourhoods marked for acquisition for airport expansion — said that water from the river had flooded the area. “The clearing and levelling works in the 129 acres acquired for extension work is causing flooding in the locality,” she added. “The problem will get complicated because Airports Authority of India (AAI) is planning to extend the runway further across the river.

Unless the runway level is raised, flooding will affect airport operations in the future, said Captain A Ranganathan, a former pilot.

The expansion works would obstruct the flow of the Adyar river and the flow of floodwater from Porur to the river. Hence, flooding might hamper aircraft operations on the secondary runway and the parallel runway, a former AAI official said.

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Daily/skins/TOI/navigator.asp?Daily=TOICH&login=default&AW=1228104326406

TN Govt Says Manapakkam is a flooding area......

If TN Government say manapakkam,Kollapakkam,Gerugambakkam,Tharapakkam is a low lying area.....Then How come CHENNAI AIRPORT EXPANSION POSSIBLE>>>>.


Thursday, November 13, 2008

WATCH MORE VIDEOS FROM CNN-IBN.......

http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/77276/11_2008/cj17_0111_2a/delhi-women-buckle-up-to-change-the-system.html

http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/77276/11_2008/cj17_0111_2/delhi-women-buckle-up-to-change-the-system.html

Comments:

Thanks to Brinda for fighting against this expensive project. Government clearly can not run both the airports, then what is the point in spending thousands of crores in expanding this airport. Instead Govt should spend all its effort in speeding up the new airport work. That is what an efficient government can do. But these politicians dont know what they are doing.We all with you Brinda !- jayavel

NATARAJAN said...
Thank U Mrs. Brinda Brighton,you have taken up the causes of hundreds of people living around the airport who are likely to be displaced in event of the parallel runway becomes a reality. We are with u in giving a fight against the Airports Authority of India and Government of Tamilnadu. I pray that good sense will prevail in the minds of those and they will resort to the the Greenfield Airport at Sriperumudur instead of displacing thousands of families in and around Manappakkam. What disturbs all of us is that the State of Tamilnadu is contemplating to acquire lands in and around Manappakkam despite the fact that CMDA gave clearance for the lands involved in Marvel River View County some where around the early 2006. What made the State Government to come out with a revised area for acquisition in May, 2007. What happened in between? May God bless us and our home sweet homes.With prayers.R. NATARAJAN.
November 14, 2008 6:49 AM

Monday, November 3, 2008

A flexible land acquisition process




A flexible land acquisition process



The Tami Nadu Acquisition of Land for Industrial Purposes Act works differently from the Land Acquisition Act. It has expedited the process and helped fix flexible rates for compensation, writes C.H.Gopinatha Rao


In the recent past, the government has been acquiring lands for various projects ranging from road widening, SEZ and industrial purposes.


It is a usual practice to evoke the land acquisition Act (1864) for this purpose.


However, the recent land acquisitions by the Government of Tamil Nadu saw a departure. Land for Chennai Airport expansion project was acquired evoking the Tamil Nadu Acquisition of Land for Industrial Purposes Act. (known as Tamil Nadu Acquisition Act, in force from September 21, 2001 ) and not the Land Acquisition Act.


This shift was done in order to speed up acquisition. Did the government achieve its objectives? Were the people whose lands were acquired adequately compensated?

Widely defined

As per Section 2(e) of the Tamil Nadu Acquisition Act, ’industrial purpose’ includes the starting of a new industry, expansion of an existing industry, development of an industrial area and establishment and management of an industrial estate. The word, industrial purposes, is so widely defined that the court took the view that land acquisition for airport can be made under this Act.

The Tamil Nadu Acquisition Act overrides the provisions of the original Land Acquisition Act and the detailed procedure usually adopted need not be followed.

The State Government has to now issue a notification under Section 3 proposing to acquire land, followed by a notice under Section 4(1) to show cause why the land should not be acquired. The owner of the land can then make his/her objection and if the Government is not satisfied with the objection, a notification under Section 3(1) can be issued. After which the land will vest with the Government. Section 7 of the Act provides for payment of compensation based on the principles laid down under the Land Acquisition Act.
Advantage
Another advantage is that in the case of Land Acquisition Act, failure to make an award within two years of the declaration will let acquisition proceedings lapse.
But in the case of Tamil Nadu Acquisition Act, the compensation need not be paid before the land vests with the Government and there is no time limit for passing the award.
If the compensation is low, reference can be made to the Sub-Court and no Second Appeal is available. The interest payable on compensation under this Act is lower than the interest payable under the Land Acquisition Act and no solatium need to be paid.

Revenue officials say that the Act allowed them, in the case of Oragadum, to work out a flexible rate, expedite the process and facilitate better interaction with the land owners.

The Collector was guided by the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act. The Guideline value, the last land transaction amount received at the sub-registrar’s office and the market value of lands to be acquired were taken into consideration and fair value of the land was arrived at. This also allowed for arriving at differential rates fixed depending on various factors that influence the value of land.
Paid dividends
In Oragadum this approach has paid dividends and 50 owners voluntarily surrendered the land and received the compensation.

However, in the case of Chennai Airport expansion project there are reports that some of the residents feel that the compensation value is less than the fair market value.
What is important is that the process of determining the fair value of the land under acquisition must be professionally and thoroughly done. It should be transparent and the method of arriving at the value must be shared with the land owners. If the comparative method was used then the basis for comparison must be made public.

If the value was fixed through values obtained through recent transaction, then the detailed information of such transaction must be made known.
Adequate and fair compensation would only speed up the auction process and gain peoples’ acceptance.

The author is past National President, Institution of Valuers.

Passenger movement at Chennai airport’s domestic terminal falls

Passenger movement at Chennai airport’s domestic terminal falls

CHENNAI: There has been a fall in passenger and aircraft movement at the domestic terminal of the Chennai airport in the last six months.Records show that from April to September this year, 32.45 lakh passengers travelled in the domestic sector, against 36.83 lakh during the corresponding period last year.

Aircraft movement was 42,765 from April to September this year against 43,592 during the corresponding period last year.Airports Authority of India (AAI) sources say passenger movement recorded a negative growth rate of 12 per cent and aircraft movement recorded a negative growth rate of 2 per cent in the last six months since April this year.

The reasons

Increase in the cost of aviation turbine fuel is being cited as a major factor for the fall. This has forced airlines to prune operations. While some have reduced the number of services from Chennai to other destinations, a couple of others have suspended operations from Chennai, say the AAI sources. With the opening of new airports in Bangalore and Hyderabad, a few airlines have cancelled short-haul flights. This is another reason for reduction in passenger movement in the domestic sector, the sources say.Consolidation in the airline industry is another reason for the reduction in the number of flights.

For example, Air Sahara and Jet Airways were operating different flights from Chennai to New Delhi. With their merger, the Air Sahara flight to Delhi was cancelled. Another example is Kingfisher and Air Deccan, who were operating to Bangalore and Madurai separately. After Air Deccan was bought over by Kingfisher some of the Deccan flights were cancelled. Again, promotional offers by low cost airlines have been scrapped and ticket costs have gone up.

A senior AAI officer says among the three major airports in the southern region, Chennai is the least affected.

http://www.hindu.com/2008/11/01/stories/2008110160160800.htm

Sunday, November 2, 2008

CNN-IBN News----- Pictures>>>>>>>>











Link to Watch CNN-IBN news...

Watch the CNN-IBN, Citizen Journalist Program regarding Chennai airport expansion in the following location.........

http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/77165/cj-story-airport-authority-acquires-residents-land.html