Remember
the Multimodal International Cargo hub and airport at Nagpur, in the center
of India?
Known as the Multi-modal International Hub Airport
at Nagpur (MIHAN), the almost forgotten project has been 10 years in the
making. No wonder, then, that while campaigning for his Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) at an election rally some time ago in Nagpur, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi declared, “The MIHAN file took 10 years to travel
500 meters—that is the tragedy of MIHAN.” He had a reason
for saying this: The MIHAN project is the biggest economical development
project underway in the country in terms of investments. The project’s
aim: convert Nagpur airport into a major cargo hub with integrated road
and rail connectivity while exploiting the city’s geographical location.
Modi’s words must have struck the right chords in the people of
Nagpur and the state of Maharashtra. It voted the BJP to power. Perhaps
what is more important is that the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra
Fadnavis is from Nagpur. When it is completed, MIHAN will bring about
a revolutionary change in the transportation of cargo across the country
by air, railways, and roadways.
And in the new scheme of things, where the Prime
Minister is keen to improve and ramp up infrastructure in the country,
MIHAN will become one of the top 100 smart cities.
It is not that work has not been done. Infrastructure
has already been put up, but the cargo hub is still to see movement. Through
these last 10 years, political parties have had a field day, with allegations
and counter-allegations about the project making the rounds. The initial
problems started with the delay in handing over the Nagpur airport to
the project authorities. The airport belongs to the central government-controlled
Airports Authority of India (AAI), while the Maharashtra Airport Development
Company Limited (MADC), which was constituted in 2002 by the Government
of Maharashtra as a Special Purpose Company, is handling the MIHAN project.
MADC was jointly formed with equity participation from the City and Industrial
Development Corporation Ltd. (CIDCO), Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT),
Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), Maharashtra State
Road Development Corporation Ltd. (MSRDC), and the Nagpur Municipal Corporation.
Now, with the Chief Minister of the state as
well as Minister of Road Transport and Highways in the central cabinet
Nitin Gadkari, from Nagpur, the project is certain to move forward. Chief
Minister Fadnavis emphasized at a recent meeting that not only would he
give the topmost priority to the MIHAN project, but also ensure that no
proposals would be kept pending for technical reasons.
To begin with, in the third week of November,
power supply has started flowing to the MIHAN project after almost seven
years. The power supply had been stopped because of wrangling between
the suppliers and the apathetic attitude of the earlier Chief Minister.
Meanwhile, the last ten years have seen a realignment
of MIHAN’s projected estimates. Back in 2001, L&T Ramboll had
in its original techno-feasibility report projected cargo throughput at
8.70 lakh MT per annum and passenger traffic of 14 million per annum.
Both figures were starting from 2005 until 2035. Now, more realistic adjustments
have been done with a starting year of 2015: Cargo throughput will reach
60,000 metric tons and passenger traffic will be seven million by 2045.
Added to the cargo hub will be Air India’s
largest maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility. The $107 mn.
MRO spread across 50 acres was scheduled to be handed over to Air India
in November. Delayed by almost three years, this MRO will be able to handle
three widebody aircraft, such as Boeing B777s or Airbus A380s, at a time.
Now, domestic airlines that have to fly to West Asia or Singapore for
maintenance checks will find the same facilities in the country.
Going by the recent moves, India’s dreams
to create a Frankfurt in Nagpur could well see the light of day. The 40.25
sq. km. multi-modal cargo hub and airport, along with a special economic
zone, will surely change Nagpur’s skyline.
TG |
