Delhi asks for more facts on Tezu airport

[Mrudul Godbole]

Delhi asks for more facts on Tezu airport
OUR CORRESPONDENT

Guwahati, March 9: The Union ministry of environment and forests has called for additional information for granting environmental clearance to Tezu airport in Arunachal Pradesh.

The Rs 79-crore project has been approved and sanctioned and the Tezu district authorities have already handed over the land required for the airport to the Airports Authority of India.

The proposal is for the development and operationalisation of the existing Tezu airport in Lohit district of Arunachal Pradesh for ATR-72-500 aircraft. At present, the airport is being used only for helicopter service.

A source said the expert appraisal committee for building/construction projects and infrastructure development of the ministry of environment and forests recently has called for environmental data on land, groundwater, surface water, air, bio-diversity, noise and vibration.

The expert committee has asked the authorities concerned to examine the impact of the airport’s location on the nearest settlements, to conduct a study on land use around 10km radius of the site and to submit a copy of the contour plan with slopes, drainage pattern of the site and surrounding areas.

The committee has asked for planning of a thick green belt around the nearest settlement to mitigate noise and vibrations. The identification of species/plants should be made based on botanical studies, it said. There are no wildlife sanctuaries or national parks within 15km of the airport.

The committee said details of water bodies at the vicinity and the likely impacts on them because of the proposed activity should be provided.

A public hearing will have to be conducted for the project according to provisions of the Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 2006, and the issues raised by the people should be addressed in the environmental management plan.

Link - The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Northeast | Delhi asks for more facts on Tezu airport

[Sabyasachi Patra]

Very little is known about the places in the North East. I hope adequate documentation is done beforehand so that we have data in hand to protect environmentally fragile places.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi