PM Modi on Wednesday inaugurated the first phase of the Navi Mumbai International Airport, which is built for 19,650 crore rupees. Spread across 1,160 hectares, the airport will ease the congestion at Mumbai’s existing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja International Airport and also boost India’s aviation sector.
He hailed the project as a “glimpse of Viksit Bharat”. He highlighted the importance of the new airport in connecting India with the world, and also focused on how it will help farmers in Maharashtra to export their produce to Europe and the Middle East. After the first phase is completed, the facility is ready to handle 20 million passengers every year with a single runway and one terminal structure. It can handle 20-22 flights every hour, and this capacity will increase next year. The International Transport Association also said on Tuesday that the new facility will not only boost the connectivity in the region but also ease the burden on the existing airport.
Before inaugurating the complex, Mr Modi took a walk at the construction facility, which is India’s largest greenfield Airport project developed under the Private Pubic Partnership model, and is the second international airport in Mumbai. Other than the Airport, the Prime Minister also inaugurated the new metro line from Acharya Atre Chowk to Cuffe Parade at 12,200 crore, named as the Mumbai Metro Line-3.
The 37,270 crore Aqua line was dedicated by the Prime Minister to the entire nation and was also hailed as a major milestone in transforming the city’s urban transportation. A new mobile app, called the Mumbai One, was also launched on the eve to ease ticket booking and other information related to local transportation.
The Short-Term Employability Programme, to boost skill development and employment in the state, was also launched by the Department of Skill, Employment, Entrepreneurship, and Innovation. The programme conducted across 400 ITIs and 150 Technical high schools is aimed at bridging the skill and employability gap.
