City’s first heliport likely in Punjabi Bagh

City’s first heliport likely in Punjabi Bagh

Express news service

Posted online: Thursday, March 27, 2008 at 0019 hrs IST

New Delhi, March 26
Delhi is set to get its first heliport at Punjabi Bagh. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has zeroed in on a small plot near Ring Road. The ministry is already in talks with the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for transfer of land and is waiting for its final go-ahead.

“An Indian Oil depot at Punjabi Bagh is in the process of being relocated and we have identified it as a probable site for a heliport. With good connectivity — the Ring Road runs in front of the plot and a Metro line is coming to the area — this is definitely a viable site for a heliport. Also, there is no high-rise building in the vicinity. This has been conveyed to the DDA and some of its officials were taken for an aerial tour of the area recently,” says a senior official in the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

The DDA, it is learnt, is keen to work with the ministry as a partner on the project and may offer the land free of cost for developing the facility. The Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited (PHHL), however, is likely to hold a majority stake.

The ministry is also holding talks with Uttar Pradesh and Haryana governments for another heliport in the NCR.

Uttar Pradesh is keen on a heliport in Greater Noida and was planning to develop it on its own but the ministry has proposed that it will operate it on their behalf through the PHHL. In Haryana, the ministry wanted a site near Gurgaon but the Haryana government was offering one at Jhajjar. Since that will be too far to attract potential helicopter passengers, Noida is more likely to serve as the second heliport site.

For the Delhi project, Punjabi Bagh came as a last resort after its request for a heliport off Akshardham temple near the under-construction Commonwealth Games Village was turned down by the DDA, which has issued an embargo on all construction activity on the Yamuna riverbed. The DDA proposed locations like Narela, Gazipur and Model Town, claiming that upcoming world-class infrastructure would make it viable for the heliport project. The ministry, however, did not find them feasible.

The DDA, which was otherwise planning a disaster management centre at the Punjabi Bagh site, now seems to have come around to the view that it will serve well as a heliport.

The ministry, it is learnt, is already running late by four months for the Delhi heliport and hence actively pursuing the NCR options, planning a public private partnership model for its development.

According to officials, only 20 to 25 acres are required for development of the heliport complete with a runway, hangar area and a small terminal. It will take 15 to 17 months to develop it. For the Delhi project, PHHL will be the nodal implementation agency and it is expected to cost upwards of Rs 50 crore, depending on the cost of land.

	Print Story
City’s first heliport likely in Punjabi Bagh Express news service Posted online: Thursday, March 27, 2008 at 0019 hrs IST New Delhi, March 26 Delhi is set to get its first heliport at Punjabi Bagh. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has zeroed in on a small plot near Ring Road. The ministry is already in talks with the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for transfer of land and is waiting for its final go-ahead. “An Indian Oil depot at Punjabi Bagh is in the process of being relocated and we have identified it as a probable site for a heliport. With good connectivity — the Ring Road runs in front of the plot and a Metro line is coming to the area — this is definitely a viable site for a heliport. Also, there is no high-rise building in the vicinity. This has been conveyed to the DDA and some of its officials were taken for an aerial tour of the area recently,” says a senior official in the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The DDA, it is learnt, is keen to work with the ministry as a partner on the project and may offer the land free of cost for developing the facility. The Pawan Hans Helicopters Limited (PHHL), however, is likely to hold a majority stake. The ministry is also holding talks with Uttar Pradesh and Haryana governments for another heliport in the NCR. Uttar Pradesh is keen on a heliport in Greater Noida and was planning to develop it on its own but the ministry has proposed that it will operate it on their behalf through the PHHL. In Haryana, the ministry wanted a site near Gurgaon but the Haryana government was offering one at Jhajjar. Since that will be too far to attract potential helicopter passengers, Noida is more likely to serve as the second heliport site. For the Delhi project, Punjabi Bagh came as a last resort after its request for a heliport off Akshardham temple near the under-construction Commonwealth Games Village was turned down by the DDA, which has issued an embargo on all construction activity on the Yamuna riverbed. The DDA proposed locations like Narela, Gazipur and Model Town, claiming that upcoming world-class infrastructure would make it viable for the heliport project. The ministry, however, did not find them feasible. The DDA, which was otherwise planning a disaster management centre at the Punjabi Bagh site, now seems to have come around to the view that it will serve well as a heliport. The ministry, it is learnt, is already running late by four months for the Delhi heliport and hence actively pursuing the NCR options, planning a public private partnership model for its development. According to officials, only 20 to 25 acres are required for development of the heliport complete with a runway, hangar area and a small terminal. It will take 15 to 17 months to develop it. For the Delhi project, PHHL will be the nodal implementation agency and it is expected to cost upwards of Rs 50 crore, depending on the cost of land.