Agra civil air terminal project shelved in absence of environmental clearance

The plan to construct a new air terminal for civil aircraft in Agra has been shelved due to lack of environmental clearances.

A project to construct a new air terminal for civil aircraft outside the Agra Airforce base at a cost of about Rs 400 crores has surprisingly been shelved after being kept in limbo for over 5 years. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) in its reply said that the project was shelved due to lack of environmental clearances.

Agra-based senior lawyer Kishan Chand Jain claimed that he had sought information from the AAI under the RTI Act. He sought to know what the progress was in the civil air terminal project. AAI has informed him that the project has been shelved for the time being as it has not received environmental clearance as the matter was sub-judice in court.

Kishan Jain claimed that this information was given by the AAI in its letter issued on May 18 last year under the RTI Act. Jain had requested information on the present status of the construction project of the new civil terminal of Agra, the total budget amount for the scheme, the timeframe for the completion of the project, and the reason for the delay in the start of the project.

The airport authority in its online reply informed, "A terminal building of 30,000 square kilometre area for 700 passengers during peak hours, was planned at a construction cost of Rs 398 crore. The plan has been shelved for the time being due to a court case. Environmental clearance has not been obtained."

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The reply also mentions that an amendment application has been filed in the Supreme Court. The land has been acquired and a boundary wall has been constructed. After getting the environmental clearance, the work plan will be made again.

Reacting to this, advocate Kishan Jain said, "The Supreme Court in its order dated 11.12.2019, had given permission to the Airport Authority of India to build an additional terminal at Agra Airport. In such a situation, it is surprising that the airport authority did not get environmental clearance to build a civil terminal."