High-rise towers or skyscrapers will soon be a reality in Navi Mumbai as the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has agreed to commence granting height NOCs for buildings located within 20Km radius of the proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA). The developers’ body claims that the city will soon see vertical development of up to 50-storey buildings.
The AAI has approved the shifting of the site of Airport Surveillance Radar (ASR1) to Dhakale Island from the present site near DPS Nerul. This has resolved several issues of height restrictions that evolved since 2018.
The decision was jointly taken during the meeting held on July 22, 2022, attended by senior officials of the Ministry of Civil Aviation (M0CA), GoI, AAI, CIDCO, NMIAL, and IE-AECOM. AAI is likely to start the process of issuing the NOC certificate in the first week of August 2022. The applicants have to make an application to AAI for seeking permissions above 55.1 m AMSL.
Haresh Chheda, president of Builders Association of Navi Mumbai (BANM) said that it was a long pending demand from city developers and now we will see high-rise towers like Mumbai in Navi Mumbai. “Building up to 50 storeys can be developed in Navi Mumbai now,” said Chheda.
Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, Vice Chairman, and Managing Director, CIDCO said, “The collaborative teamwork and active support extended by all concerned officials in amicably resolving such a critical technical issue is highly commendable. This citizen-friendly decision will pave the way for the smooth development of (NMIA, complementing the growth of not just the surrounding NMIA area but the entire MMR region as a whole.”
Now, AAI will grant NOCs for the height of the buildings with a planned elevation of more than 55.10m AMSL (above mean sea level) and upto the elevation of 160.10m AMSL based on Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS) criteria as per guidelines specified by DGCA, for projects located within 20Km radius of proposed NMIA and Navi Mumbai International Airport Influence area (NAINA).
Earlier, AAI had restricted grant of height NOC’s upto 55.10m AMSL only, for all projects within a 20Km radius of NMIA since Feb’2020, to avoid the creation of possible obstacles within the air space of NMIA. The AAI permission was mandatory prior to the grant of any construction approval by the Local Town Planning Authorities, in respect of all buildings located within 20Km radius of any airport. Due to this, the developers were facing difficulties in obtaining construction approvals. However, the decision has paved the way for construction and development projects in the area around the Airport Influenced Area.
