Afftected people of Chennai airport expansion plan, Stages a Demonstration on 02-01-2009,Friday in Manapakkam.
Opposite to MIOT Hospital............
Time: 11.00 A.M - 2.00 P.M
Date:02-01-2009
Day: Friday
Medha Patkar will also be present in the Meeting.....
Affected people, please make your presence and we can request government to reconsider the plan.........
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
State wants stake in exchange for providing land
CHENNAI: Airport development projects in Tamil Nadu have run into rough weather with the state government declining to give any more free land to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), citing rising land acquisition costs.
Instead, the TN government has proposed turning some of the airports into corporations in which it could take a stake in exchange for providing land. AAI is currently experiencing a drop in air traffic due to the economic slowdown. The slump coupled with privatisation of high revenue-yielding airports at Delhi and Mumbai have eroded the finances of the agency, which depends on fees levied on airlines for its revenue.
Its plans to expand hubs at Coimbatore, Madurai and Tiruchi hinge on acquiring land without incurring high costs. However, in a recent meeting, the state government made it clear to AAI that it would not get land for airport expansion projects free of cost.
"The government has told us that land can be provided free only for the expansion of Chennai airport. It also wants us to prune the requirement of land," said a senior AAI official.
This would impact development work, he said, adding AAI needs close to 900 acres for expanding Coimbatore airport and 616 acres for developing Madurai airport. Sources said the government has suggested that AAI convert each airport into a company and allow them to acquire stakes in it depending on the quantum of land handed over for development. But AAI is against the proposal. State governments have 13% equity share in new airports at Hyderabad and Bangalore. "
The Tamil Nadu government wants AAI to have a similar arrangement for airports in the state without privatising them," an AAI official said. The current stand-off may force AAI to reconsider its options as the agency cannot afford to acquire land on its own. "We lost high revenue-yielding airports of Mumbai and Delhi to private companies.
They paid just an upfront license fee of Rs 150 crore for airports that contributed close to Rs 700 crore from cargo movement alone to the coffers of AAI every year," said a senior AAI official. AAI already has two major projects modernization and expansion of Chennai (Rs 2,000 crore) and Kolkata (Rs 1,800 crore) airports on hand. "These projects will empty out the Rs 3,000 crore cash reserve the AAI has.
The authority is facing a severe cash crunch because decline in air traffic and unpaid air traffic fee by airlines has eaten into the revenue generated by existing airports including Chennai and Kolkata," said an executive director of AAI. "We have had a line-up of airport expansion proposals because air traffic was growing at a healthy 15%.
But now, there is a shocking decline of 20%. This is expected to slow down infrastructure developments," he added.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Chennai/Airport_projects_in_limbo_TN_wants_stakes_in_exchange_for_providing_land/articleshow/3891934.cms
Instead, the TN government has proposed turning some of the airports into corporations in which it could take a stake in exchange for providing land. AAI is currently experiencing a drop in air traffic due to the economic slowdown. The slump coupled with privatisation of high revenue-yielding airports at Delhi and Mumbai have eroded the finances of the agency, which depends on fees levied on airlines for its revenue.
Its plans to expand hubs at Coimbatore, Madurai and Tiruchi hinge on acquiring land without incurring high costs. However, in a recent meeting, the state government made it clear to AAI that it would not get land for airport expansion projects free of cost.
"The government has told us that land can be provided free only for the expansion of Chennai airport. It also wants us to prune the requirement of land," said a senior AAI official.
This would impact development work, he said, adding AAI needs close to 900 acres for expanding Coimbatore airport and 616 acres for developing Madurai airport. Sources said the government has suggested that AAI convert each airport into a company and allow them to acquire stakes in it depending on the quantum of land handed over for development. But AAI is against the proposal. State governments have 13% equity share in new airports at Hyderabad and Bangalore. "
The Tamil Nadu government wants AAI to have a similar arrangement for airports in the state without privatising them," an AAI official said. The current stand-off may force AAI to reconsider its options as the agency cannot afford to acquire land on its own. "We lost high revenue-yielding airports of Mumbai and Delhi to private companies.
They paid just an upfront license fee of Rs 150 crore for airports that contributed close to Rs 700 crore from cargo movement alone to the coffers of AAI every year," said a senior AAI official. AAI already has two major projects modernization and expansion of Chennai (Rs 2,000 crore) and Kolkata (Rs 1,800 crore) airports on hand. "These projects will empty out the Rs 3,000 crore cash reserve the AAI has.
The authority is facing a severe cash crunch because decline in air traffic and unpaid air traffic fee by airlines has eaten into the revenue generated by existing airports including Chennai and Kolkata," said an executive director of AAI. "We have had a line-up of airport expansion proposals because air traffic was growing at a healthy 15%.
But now, there is a shocking decline of 20%. This is expected to slow down infrastructure developments," he added.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Chennai/Airport_projects_in_limbo_TN_wants_stakes_in_exchange_for_providing_land/articleshow/3891934.cms
Sunday, December 21, 2008
CMDA head calls for arbitrators for land acquisition
CMDA head calls for arbitrators for land acquisition
CHENNAI: Land acquisition processes, which often run into legal and political hurdles, should be done through arbitrators appointed for the process, and not through government officials, a top CMDA member secretary Vikram Kapur has said.
Speaking at a session on infrastructure at Pan IIT 2008 at IIT-Madras, Kapur said the responsibility of acquiring lands should not be vested with government servants. "The government should appoint arbitrators for acquiring land.
The arbitrators can ensure that the government does not pay too much for the land, while also upholding the real value the land owner should get," he said. The member secretary advocated that the land owners be paid royalty for the land that they give to the government, for any future returns that might be got from the land.
The schedule of rates of the PWD was outdated and not realistic, as it does not factor in inflationary trends. "Because of this, many contractors are not willing to take up projects. Often there is a single bidder or just a few of them," he said. Many state governments have often run into problems during land acquisition.
The Tamil Nadu government's plans to acquire land for the proposed satellite township projects and the airport expansion project have run into problems, with political parties and residents opposing the move. Kapur said that any infrastructure project must be funded through debts than government funds, even if the user charges are high.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Chennai/CMDA_head_calls_for_arbitrators_for_land_acquisition/articleshow/3864707.cms
CHENNAI: Land acquisition processes, which often run into legal and political hurdles, should be done through arbitrators appointed for the process, and not through government officials, a top CMDA member secretary Vikram Kapur has said.
Speaking at a session on infrastructure at Pan IIT 2008 at IIT-Madras, Kapur said the responsibility of acquiring lands should not be vested with government servants. "The government should appoint arbitrators for acquiring land.
The arbitrators can ensure that the government does not pay too much for the land, while also upholding the real value the land owner should get," he said. The member secretary advocated that the land owners be paid royalty for the land that they give to the government, for any future returns that might be got from the land.
The schedule of rates of the PWD was outdated and not realistic, as it does not factor in inflationary trends. "Because of this, many contractors are not willing to take up projects. Often there is a single bidder or just a few of them," he said. Many state governments have often run into problems during land acquisition.
The Tamil Nadu government's plans to acquire land for the proposed satellite township projects and the airport expansion project have run into problems, with political parties and residents opposing the move. Kapur said that any infrastructure project must be funded through debts than government funds, even if the user charges are high.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Chennai/CMDA_head_calls_for_arbitrators_for_land_acquisition/articleshow/3864707.cms
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Friday, December 5, 2008
Compensation given for lands acquired for airport expansion project
Compensation given for lands acquired for airport expansion project
KANCHEEPURAM: Compensation totalling Rs.25 crore was distributed recently to the landowners, who agreed to hand over their lands for the Chennai airport expansion project.
Distributing cheques to 36 out of the 45 landowners at the Collectorate here, Labour Minister T.M. Anbarasan said 126.59 acres had been acquired in Manapakkam and Kolapakkam.
The State government had classified the 126.59 acres of private lands acquired at Manapakkam and Kolapakkam areas into four categories – (a) barren agriculture lands (which are level lands); (b) lands in which earth had been excavated for brick making; (c) unapproved layout area with access to public road; and (d) land in the unapproved layout set aside for road and common purposes.
The compensation for lands coming under category A has been fixed at Rs.1.06 lakh per Cent; for lands classified as category B at Rs.60,000 per Cent and for the category C at Rs.750 per sq.feet or Rs.18 lakhs per ground (2400 sq. ft). Lands falling under category D were not eligible for compensation.
Kancheepuram Collector Santosh K.Misra said the landowners have given their consent for receiving the compensation under Section 7(2) of the Tamil Nadu Acquisition of Land for Industrial Purposes Act 1997.
http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/05/stories/2008120560330400.htm
KANCHEEPURAM: Compensation totalling Rs.25 crore was distributed recently to the landowners, who agreed to hand over their lands for the Chennai airport expansion project.
Distributing cheques to 36 out of the 45 landowners at the Collectorate here, Labour Minister T.M. Anbarasan said 126.59 acres had been acquired in Manapakkam and Kolapakkam.
The State government had classified the 126.59 acres of private lands acquired at Manapakkam and Kolapakkam areas into four categories – (a) barren agriculture lands (which are level lands); (b) lands in which earth had been excavated for brick making; (c) unapproved layout area with access to public road; and (d) land in the unapproved layout set aside for road and common purposes.
The compensation for lands coming under category A has been fixed at Rs.1.06 lakh per Cent; for lands classified as category B at Rs.60,000 per Cent and for the category C at Rs.750 per sq.feet or Rs.18 lakhs per ground (2400 sq. ft). Lands falling under category D were not eligible for compensation.
Kancheepuram Collector Santosh K.Misra said the landowners have given their consent for receiving the compensation under Section 7(2) of the Tamil Nadu Acquisition of Land for Industrial Purposes Act 1997.
http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/05/stories/2008120560330400.htm
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)