Local bodies can give nod for constructions near airports Will Have To Follow AAI’s Zoning Map

Mumbai: Obtaining a no-objection certificate (NOC) to construct a building around airports has become a tad easy with the civil aviation ministry stating that local bodies will have the power to give the permission according to their own regulations and bylaws, as long as they follow the zoning maps to be prepared by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). 

    According to the ministry's new plan, the AAI will prepare colour-coded zoning maps for each airport, specifying the gradation in the heights of buildings depending on the distance from runways, and hand them over to the local planning bodies such as the municipal corporation in the city. The body will be empowered to sanction constructions based on AAI rules as well as its own regulations. 
    Builders seem to be happy with the news, hoping that the development would facilitate quicker granting of NOCs for which they have to wait for a long time. "The AAI is yet to finalize the zoning maps; we will have to wait and watch if it increases the maximum permissible height to which a building near an airport can be built. Local bodies can grant permission for buildings of those heights only. Nevertheless, it is a good decision and it will significantly reduce the amount of time usually taken by the AAI to grant an NOC for building plans," CMD of Rustomjee Developers Boman Irani said. 
    Till now, to construct a building near an airport, a developer had to approach the AAI for approval. But the airports' authority had no dedicated section to handle such applications, as a result of which NOCs would take a long while to be granted and subsequently, projects worth crores of rupees would stalled indefinitely. 
    Now after giving the nod, the local body concerned will have to submit its copy of permission granted to the designated office of the AAI within a month of sanctioning the building map. The local body will, however, not have any say for building plans that exceed the measurements indicated on the zoning map; for those, the developer will have to approach a designated officer of the AAI who will assess the obstructions to be caused by the proposed structure. After consultation with the local body, if the AAI officer finds that the building plan conforms to the local regulations, it will give the nod. Otherwise, the NOC will not be issued. The applicant has the choice to appeal to the ministry of civil aviation if the AAI officer does not grant sanction for such a structure.