GUWAHATI, July 26: Union minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol has said the Central government has granted site clearance to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) for setting up of a greenfield airport at Doloo Tea Estate in Cachar district on February 22.

The site clearance was granted to the AAI based on the recommendations of the Steering Committee on Greenfield Airports, Mohol informed the Rajya Sabha in response to an unstarred question from TMC MP Sushmita Dey on July 22.

The Union minister said the AAI has to prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR), including the details like Social and Environmental Impact Assessment, timelines for completion of the project etc.

“Prior to the commencement of construction works, AAI has to apply along with DPR to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) for grant of ‘In-Principle’ approval,” he said.

“Environmental considerations are crucial in the planning and development of greenfield airports. These considerations encompass various aspects to minimise the environmental impact and promote sustainability,” he said.

“As per the Greenfield Airports (GFA) Policy, 2008, the developer is required to obtain necessary environment clearances from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and relevant authorities before commencement of development works for greenfield airport,” he added.

Dev wanted to know about the progress of the greenfield airport project in Cachar district, which has been pending since 2022.

She also wanted to know whether it is a fact that site clearance was given by the government without following the protocol of environmental clearance; and whether the government plans to conduct a social and environmental impact assessment on the site of the proposed airport and timeline thereof.

Notably, the Assam government’s proposed plan to construct Greenfield Airport at Doloo in Silchar using part of a tea garden has been halted after the Supreme Court of India issued its order setting aside the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) clearance.

On May 6, this year, the Supreme Court while hearing a civil appeal noted that no environmental clearance was obtained for the project. The apex court also found that the state government produced wrong information regarding uprooting 4,190,000 tea bushes and questioned the role of the NGT in this matter.

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