Fadnavis launches works in NAINA, the 'Third Mumbai', and claims 15 lakh jobs around Navi Mumbai airport

The reason for planning it, he said, is that Raigad, Navi Mumbai and Thane would otherwise grow in a chaotic way around the airport. A development plan and systematic execution are needed, he said.

The claims on jobs and growth

Fadnavis said NAINA would create 15 lakh jobs, of which 5 lakh would be high-paying and 10 lakh basic to intermediate. He said that the 'sons and daughters of the soil' would get the first right to these jobs. He called the airport an economic multiplier and said that the next phase of the state's economic growth would come from NAINA. One report quotes him as saying that the airport alone could add a full percentage point to the region's GDP, though the figure was not given in another account. These are the chief minister's projections and have not been independently verified.

The farmers and their land

The most delicate part of the project is land. The scheme returns 40 per cent of a farmer's land as developed plots, and the farmers were told that they would get them. Many did not know where their plots would be, and some found mismatches at the locations they were shown. Farmers feared that they would get nothing while CIDCO went on with its work, and that caused delays.

The government has authorised CIDCO to correct errors in the final development plan, including overlapping plots, wrong plot numbers and discrepancies in land ownership. Land documents are now being given out, village by village. CIDCO has published a booklet on the entitlements of the project-affected people, covering developed plots, floor space index and the categories of landowners, which Fadnavis called the 'Gita for project-affected people'. Shinde said that the state has waived development fees and betterment charges for landholders and is finalising freehold procedures so that ownership can be recorded on property cards.

Fadnavis said that a commuter would be able to travel from Worli to the airport without meeting a traffic signal within six to eight months, using the Atal Setu sea link and planned connections. The government is also preparing an integrated water supply plan for the developing areas of Raigad and Thane. Shinde said that road and metro links between Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and the 'Third Mumbai' are a priority, and Sunetra Pawar said the planned development and the airport links would create jobs in industry, commerce, services and tourism, and ease the pressure on Mumbai.

Farmers who are affected can use the booklet that CIDCO has published to check the category of landowner they fall under and the plot, floor space index and other entitlements that go with it. They should also look at the final development plan for their village for errors in the plot number or the area, because the government has now authorised the corporation to correct such errors.

The promise of jobs is easy to make and hard to measure. A figure of 15 lakh jobs will depend on how many businesses come, how fast the roads, power and water are built, and what rules apply to hiring locals. The land questions are the nearer test. If farmers get clear plots and documents without further disputes, the project can move quickly, and if they do not, it will be held up by complaints and court cases, as other large land schemes have been.

The airport is already operating, and the shifting of international flights from the older Mumbai airport will add to its traffic from February. The success of the 'Third Mumbai' will be judged on whether the services around the airport are ready when the passengers arrive.