PM Narendra Modi’s Mumbai visit cost Rs10 crore; GVK asks CIDCO to share the bill

Different agencies including GVK, spent over Rs10 crore for arrangement and publicity for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Navi Mumbai to lay foundation stone of the proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport at Konbdbhuje Village in Navi Mumbai last Sunday, 18 February 2018.

The PM laid foundation stone of the new airport and also inaugurated the fourth container terminal of the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) constructed at a cost of Rs4,719 crore. Later PM Modi inaugurated “Magnetic Maharashtra” summit at Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai.

State-run City and Industrial Development Corp (CIDCO) had entrusted the work of making arrangement for the programme to GVK. Accordingly, three helipads were set up, a huge shamiana equipped with close-circuit TV (CCTV) was raised and a sizable amount was spent on publicity, food and other aspects.

Now GVK has sent a bill of Rs10.34 crore to CIDCO asking it to share the cost of the bill.  Tentatively if GVK bears 40% of the cost, CIDCO and JNPT will have to pay the balance amount. Mohan Ninawe, spokesperson for CIDCO confirmed having received the bill from GVK and added that the decision about this will be taken by its Board.

The staggering amount of the bill includes: event management-Rs3.44 crore, setting up approach roads-Rs3.30 crore, advertisements in newspapers and other media-Rs1.20 crore, contingency expenditure-Rs50 lakh, CCTV installation-Rs15 lakh, lunch/ breakfast- Rs10 lakh, parking–Rs5 lakh, miscellaneous expenses-Rs1 lakh, amount spent for obtaining permissions for the function from different local authorities-Rs1 lakh and 18% GST on the entire amount-Rs 1.58 crore.

The airport is slated to come up on 1160 hectare land at an estimated cost of Rs16,000 crore. Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Civil Aviation Minister PA Gajapathi Raju, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, and top officials from GVK and CIDCO and others were present during the inaugural function.

A special purpose vehicle – “Navi Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (NMIAL)” has been created, in which GVK Power & Infrastructure Ltd (GVKPIL), through its subsidiary, “Mumbai International Pvt Ltd”, holds 74%, while the rest is held by CIDCO.

The greenfield airport, is to be constructed in the public-private-participation (PPP) mode on the mainland in Navi Mumbai, across the Mumbai harbour, with the advantage of the upcoming Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, a Special Economic Zone and other major infrastructure developments. It will be the second international aviation hub for Mumbai, presently served by the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, which has almost achieved saturation point.

CIDCO will complete the first phase, which would includes construction of runway and airport building by December 2019, with a plan to handle annually one crore passengers. In the second phase, the passenger handling capacity will be augmented by 2.5 crore and in the third phase, which will be completed by 2025, the passenger handling capacity will reach up to 6 crore.  CIDCO, which holds 26% stake, will foot the pre-development expenses that will be later recovered from GVK, besides getting a 12.6% share in the annual revenue from the mega-project.

As for the 4th terminal at JNPT, it is considered the largest in the country and is expected to add capacity of 2.4 million (24 lakh) containers per annum in the first phase and after completion of the second phase in 2022, the capacity will be quadrupled to a whopping 100 lakh containers per year, at a cost of Rs7,915 crore. It will be able to dock mother vessels, handle the biggest containers ships from a quay length of one km, handle three container ships simultaneously with sufficient yard space, and cranes which can reach 22 rows wide or more.