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Ifs and buts not Good for MIHAN project, say Experts-TIME OF INDIA
Shishir Arya, TNN, Nov 27, 2010, 04.32pm IST NAGPUR: Experts and stakeholders have a mixed view on Mihan. Even as industrialists and traders want it 
to happen soon, a section of players in the logistics business question the feasibility of such an ambitious project. There is a pressing demand for the government to come out clear on the fate Mihan, as many hopes, especially in the realty market, are attached to it.
"It is time that the pending issues are cleared and there is a clarity over the fate of the project which has taken an unimaginable delay. Specific information should be made available about the plans over major investments like the $100 million maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) depot by Boeing," said Pravin Tapadia, president of the Vidarbha Industries Association.
Tapadia also called for running the MADC like a business corporate venture and even tapping the capital market. "The show here should be managed like a commercial organization with profit as a clear motive. This would perhaps lead to a faster implementation," he says.
Shivkumar Rao, the president of the Confederation of Indian Industries' (CII) Vidarbha Council, says though Mihan has been planned as a cargo hub where planes from different directions will land and redistribute the cargo, "the present conditions are not very encouraging for such a concept".
"Currently a higher amount of cargo is generated from the south and west while north and east lag behind. So, if planes from all four directions are to land here and redistribute the load, there are will not be enough planes from north and east to take back the cargo. There will be a major mismatch," Rao added.
However, the president of Boeing India, Dinesh Keskar is very optimistic. "This problem can be overcome by altering flight schedules," he says.
According to Keskar, the hub and spoke model has been successful in the US where FedEx and United Parcel Service operate in a similar manner. "Over there even if a parcel has to be reached just 100 kms away from the place of origin, it will first reach the hub from where it will be distributed. Such a model helps in reducing the overall duration of travel and leads to operational convenience," he added.
It needs a critical mass to develop such a project and lately it is India which is seen to have a potential for it. "Given its geographical location, Nagpur is the ideal site," said Keskar.
Rao, on the other hand, said that such a project will also need to have cargo generated from the place where it is located. "Though a special economic zone has been planned for the purpose the MADC has allotted land only to information technology companies and software parks where there is no physical transport of cargo," he said.
Leader of the project affected persons (PAPs), Baba Dawre has claimed the cargo hub can be an environmental hazard. It is not advisable to have such a set-up where several planes will land and take off so close to the city. Dawre is from the Shivangaon village which has been earmarked for the crucial second airstrip. The second airstrip will be used by the Indian Air Force (IAF) when it shifts to a new location. The IAF will not shift till the second airstrip is ready, which is also vital for the Boeing project to come up.
Residents of Shivangaon have been strongly protesting the takeover. Earlier they demanded a compensation of Rs 35 lakh an acre but now they are also pressing the airstrip to be deleted from the plan itself. "Let the SEZ come up and there is no need for the Cargo Hub," he said.
to happen soon, a section of players in the logistics business question the feasibility of such an ambitious project. There is a pressing demand for the government to come out clear on the fate Mihan, as many hopes, especially in the realty market, are attached to it. "It is time that the pending issues are cleared and there is a clarity over the fate of the project which has taken an unimaginable delay. Specific information should be made available about the plans over major investments like the $100 million maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) depot by Boeing," said Pravin Tapadia, president of the Vidarbha Industries Association.
Tapadia also called for running the MADC like a business corporate venture and even tapping the capital market. "The show here should be managed like a commercial organization with profit as a clear motive. This would perhaps lead to a faster implementation," he says.
Shivkumar Rao, the president of the Confederation of Indian Industries' (CII) Vidarbha Council, says though Mihan has been planned as a cargo hub where planes from different directions will land and redistribute the cargo, "the present conditions are not very encouraging for such a concept".
"Currently a higher amount of cargo is generated from the south and west while north and east lag behind. So, if planes from all four directions are to land here and redistribute the load, there are will not be enough planes from north and east to take back the cargo. There will be a major mismatch," Rao added.
However, the president of Boeing India, Dinesh Keskar is very optimistic. "This problem can be overcome by altering flight schedules," he says.
According to Keskar, the hub and spoke model has been successful in the US where FedEx and United Parcel Service operate in a similar manner. "Over there even if a parcel has to be reached just 100 kms away from the place of origin, it will first reach the hub from where it will be distributed. Such a model helps in reducing the overall duration of travel and leads to operational convenience," he added.
It needs a critical mass to develop such a project and lately it is India which is seen to have a potential for it. "Given its geographical location, Nagpur is the ideal site," said Keskar.
Rao, on the other hand, said that such a project will also need to have cargo generated from the place where it is located. "Though a special economic zone has been planned for the purpose the MADC has allotted land only to information technology companies and software parks where there is no physical transport of cargo," he said.
Leader of the project affected persons (PAPs), Baba Dawre has claimed the cargo hub can be an environmental hazard. It is not advisable to have such a set-up where several planes will land and take off so close to the city. Dawre is from the Shivangaon village which has been earmarked for the crucial second airstrip. The second airstrip will be used by the Indian Air Force (IAF) when it shifts to a new location. The IAF will not shift till the second airstrip is ready, which is also vital for the Boeing project to come up.
Residents of Shivangaon have been strongly protesting the takeover. Earlier they demanded a compensation of Rs 35 lakh an acre but now they are also pressing the airstrip to be deleted from the plan itself. "Let the SEZ come up and there is no need for the Cargo Hub," he said.
Read more: Ifs and buts not good for project, say experts - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/Ifs-and-buts-not-good-for-project-say-experts/articleshow/7000832.cms#ixzz16a61eUD3
Entire thing is a loot . Govt have duped people in the name of land aquisition . Govt is paying peanuts to land owners while actual market rate is much higher. MIHAN is cursed by people who had bought the land 15 years back by their hard earned money. It will suffer same fate as Singur , West Bengal.
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