Airport in Bengal - first private airport by 2011

The first private airport in West Bengal is likely to be operational by 2011 after the proposed project got a go agead from a steering committee set up by the government and clearing the hurdle of objections from Coal India Ltd.

"We hope to begin commercial operation of the airport in 30 months of land acquisition," Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd (BAPL) director Partha Ghosh told PTI.

"We hope to complete the acquisition 2,362.84 acre required for the first phase in the next four to six months," Ghosh said, adding that the government would complete the land acquisition notification in the next one or two days.

The process of land acquisition was delayed due to lack of clearance from the steering committee which was set by the government for the proposed greenfield project.

BAPL is the promoter of the first airport city or Aerotropolis in the country in Burdwan district in association with Singapore 's Changi International Airports.

An agreement was signed on February 27 for technical services and as operator of the proposed airport. Changi International was in advanced talks with the company to take a high minority stake in the airport.

Meanwhile, CIL has stated that about 2,300 million tonne of superior quality non-coking coal was likely to be blocked if the project was set up at the propose site.

CIL chairman Partha Bhattacharyya had written to the Coal ministry after learning that the steering committee had given approval to the airport project without representation of his ministry. Airlines in India