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[rOhit beHaL]

- TECHNO FEASIBILITY STUDY OF SHIRDI AIRPORT -
Tuesday, 25th May`2010
Expressindia - Nisha Nambiar

Pune : To avert incidents like the Mangalore air crash, a proper Techno Feasibility study of the airport's has to be done,
said Techno-Feasibility consultant Pankaj Vora from Mott Macdonald firm which has been appointed
to study the Techno-Feasibility of the Shirdi and Solapur airports as well.

Vora said a Techno-Feasibility study can help with an obstacle limitation survey as well as assess the type of aircraft that lands at these airports.
 “Length of the runway, two cushion threshold for the runways as well instructional landing are the key areas of study,” said Vora.
He said fault in the instrumental landing is one of the key reasons for the Mangalore Air crash.
“The pilot was not able to gauge the length of the runway with the radar which can engage the aircraft and give definite indications of landing.
With the aircraft having technical problems, the manual judgement was bound to go wrong leading to overshooting of the runway.
Moreover, if the length of the runway is not adequate, it only adds to the problem,” he said.
Vora said the company has been involved in drawing out master plans for Mumbai and Delhi airports as well as Sikkim airport.


Source - http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/bajpe-airport-citybased-firm-offers-technofeasibility-study/623265/



_


“Divide each Difficulty into as many parts,
 as is Feasible and necessary to Resolve it.”....Rene Descartes


Feasible : rOhit beHaL

[rOhit beHaL]

~~ SHIRDI AIRPORT WORK IN FULL SWING ~~
Vishwas Kothari, TNN
02nd July`2010

PUNE: The Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC), the state's special planning authority,
has put the Shirdi airport project in Kopargaon taluka of Ahmednagar district, in a higher gear.

The Rs 340-crore airport project is a vital part of the state government's effort to promote religious tourism at Shirdi,
known for the temple of Sai Baba, one of the most revered spiritual gurus in the country.
The devotees of Sai Baba span across the country as well as the continents.

Tenders for a slew of project-related activities, including area-levelling, laying of runway,
building of compound wall around the project area and laying of drainage, were opened on Wednesday.
"We are now into the phase of issuing work orders over the next 15 days," a top MADC official told TOI on Thursday.

The airport is to come up over a sprawling 400 hectare (ha) of land at Kakadi village, 11 kms west of Shirdi, and is
slated to go operational by December 2011.

"We have already acquired 300 ha land in the project area," the official said, adding,
"The airport will have a single runway which is initially planned for 2,000 metres in length and eventually going up to 3,600 mt."
Development of an approach road to the airport site has also started, the official said.

"The idea is to start with the operation of domestic flight services and gradually expand the activity to
international services in line with the growth in demand for such service," the official said.
"The initially planned runway will mainly cater to smaller aircraft of up to 80-seat capacity and the
final runway extension will enable landing of larger aircraft like Boeing 737s and 747s."

On an average, 80,000 devotees visit the temple town each day and the numbers go up to 2.5 to 3 lakh per day during vacations,
festival season and weekend holidays. A large chunk of these visitors are non-resident Indians (NRIs), foreigners as well as celebrities.

As of now, the Aurangabad airport serves as the nearest airport for devotees planning to travel by air to the temple town.
While Aurangabad is located 125 kms from Shirdi, cities like Pune and Mumbai are located some 200km and 325 km from Shirdi, respectively.
Travel by road from these cities to the temple town is often a costly and time-consuming affairs.

The Ahmednagar district administration sealed the deal for acquisition of land for the airport project on December 22, 2009
with declaration of compensation awards for land secured from farmers partly through consent and through compulsory acquisition process.
Over 65 per cent of the total 700-odd farmers in the project area gave their consent to the acquisition process.

Source - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Shirdi-airport-work-in-full-swing-Official/articleshow/6117173.cms




"AerOdynamically, the Bumblebee shouldn't be able to Fly,
but the Bumblebee doesn't know that, so it goes On Flying anyway.".......Mary Kay Ash


BehalBee - rOhit beHaL

[rOhit beHaL]

- Shirdi Airport Delayed Due to Runway Modification -
Wednesday 4th Aug`2010
DNA

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Airport Development Authority (MADC) has decided to give the upcoming Shirdi Airport
a longer runway to accommodate big aircrafts.

But, the decision effectively means that the airport will miss its October 2011 deadline, which was announced by chief minister Ashok Chavan.
The runway will be extended from 2,500 metres to 3,200 metres to cope with the burgeoning demand of bigger flights in the area.

The decision to extend the runway was taken at a meeting on Tuesday with the Shirdi Sai Baba Airport Charitable Trust.
The chief minister, who chaired the meeting at the Mantralaya, was told by MADC officials that they have started getting
inquiries from Airlines, who want to begin operations to Shirdi at the earliest.
The estimated services from the airport are 20 per day, and hence the proposal for a bigger runway was cleared.

Chavan, while approving the demand, also asked MADC to set a new deadline for the airport and complete the project on time.
“The Rs380-crore project needs 400 acre of land, of which 300 acre has been acquired with help of the government aid of Rs40 crore.

The Shirdi Sansthan has agreed to pay Rs50 crore and money is also expected from donations.
Almost all the permissions and formalities have been completed,” said Jayant Sasane, chairman, Shirdi Sansthan.

Around 20 flights have been proposed in the first phase for the Airport, which is 10 km away from Shirdi. Flights will be available from
Mumbai, Delhi, Nagpur, Ahmedabad and other cities. For this a Four-Lane road is also being made between Shirdi & Kakadi Village.

Source - http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_shirdi-airport-delayed-due-to-runway-modification_1418536



delAyed errOhit beHaL

[rOhit beHaL]

- SHIRDI AIRPORT'S "BHUMI-PUJAN" ON 27th AUGUST`2010 -
Saturday 21st Aug`2010
The Times of India

Mumbai : Devotees of Sai Baba will soon be able to fly to Shirdi in Ahmednagar district with the ground-breaking ceremony
of the Rs 260 crore airport project taking place by the month-end, Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan said here today.

“The Bhumipujan (ground-breaking ceremony) will be performed by laying the foundation stone on 27th August`2010,”
Chavan said at his official residence ‘Varsha’ this evening. The project is expected to be completed in two years.
Chief minister Ashok Chavan will also flag off three Mumbai-Shirdi Direct Trains on the same day.

We are committed to providing better infrastructure at Shirdi as well over 50,000 devotes visit the Sai Baba temple, Chavan said.

On the proposed airport, Chavan said well over 300 hectares of land near Kopargaon, has been procured.
I have asked the administration to complete the entire work for the new airport within a year.
We expect 1,800-2,000 devotees will use the air travel facility. So far, more than half-a-dozen leading airlines have evinced
a keen interest in launching the flight service, Chavan said.


Source - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Shirdi-airport-to-be-ready-in-a-year/articleshow/6389584.cms





"A Hearty Laugh gives One a Dry Cleaning,
while a gOOd Cry is a Wet Wash."...Puzant Kevork Thomajan


dOuble tAke : rOhit beHaL

[rOhit beHaL]

~~ FOUNDATION STONE LAID FOR SHIRDI AIRPORT ~~
Friday 27th Aug`2010

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan today laid the Foundation Stone for the Airport in Shirdi`Ahmednagar, Maharashtra.
Over 30,000 devotees visit the Saibaba temple everyday and on Thursdays and Sundays,
the number goes up to 70,000 whilst the shrine sees around 150,000 people on Diwali and New Year’s Day.
Improving the infrastructure of this pilgrimage centre is expected to go a long way in making travel more convenient for visitors.

The Rs.2.6 billion Airport is expected to be operational by November 2011.
A 280-acre site has been chosen for the airport, located at Kakdi Village, 15 kms from the Shrine.
Chavan said that around 2,000 devotees are likely to take a flight to Shirdi daily
and several airlines have already expressed interest in catering to them.

Ownership of the Airport will be vested in the "Shri Saibaba Airport Charitable Trust" to be formed soon with the chief minister as its chairman.

























"In the Space Age, Man will be able tO gO arOund the wOrld in twO hOurs -
One hOur fOr Flying & One hOur tO get tO the airpOrt.".....Neil McElroy



Lite Flyer - rOhit beHaL

[rOhit beHaL]

~~ 60% OF SHIRDI AIRPORTS RUNWAY COMPLETED ~~
11th Dec`2010

SHIRDI: Work on the Shirdi airport project, which is coming up on 400 hectare land at Kakadi village, 11 km from Shirdi,
is progressing at a fast pace. The airport is expected to become operational by December 2011.

Officials of the state government-owned Maharashtra Airport Development Company said,
60 per cent work on the runway has been completed. It will be fully ready by March next year.
The Single Runway will be 60 metres wide & 2,000 metres long.
Construction of a 10-ft high, 11-km boundary wall has also been taken up.
A two-lane road from Shirdi to the airport is also being constructed.

Earlier, work on the airport project had been held up due to land acquisition problems.
The state government, however, managed to acquire 750 acres from 712 farmers of Kakadi village.
A development plan was prepared and, in the first phase, work on the runway costing Rs 74 crore was started.
Construction of the Terminal building is expected to commence next month for which the cost is estimated to be around Rs 40 crore.

The Rs 340-crore airport project is vital for the state government's effort to promote Shirdi for religious tourism.
About 80,000 devotees visit the temple town every day and the numbers go up to 2.5 to 3 lakh per day during vacations,
festival seasons and weekend holidays. At present, the Aurangabad airport is the nearest airport for devotees planning to travel
 by air to the temple town. Initially, the Shirdi airport will operate only domestic flights. Daily flights are being planned to
and from Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Delhi and Hyderabad.

According to an MADC survey, about 2.5 lakh people from Mumbai are expected to travel by air to Shirdi
within a year of the airport becoming operational. Similarly, about three lakh people from Hyderabad are also expected
to travel by air to Shirdi within a year's time. The airport will also benefit farmers of the region as cargo services
are planned to be started from there.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Shirdi-airport-to-become-operational-by-Dec-2011/articleshow/7079552.cms


Sairam,
rOhit beHaL

[rOhit beHaL]

- SHIRDI AIRPORT WORK HALTED HALFWAY !!! -
05th April`2011

Since, the treasury of Maharashtra Airport Development Corporation is gone empty;
the construction work of Shirdi Airport has been halted half way only.
The construction company has yet to pay bills more than Rs.30 crore.
The senior officials of company are demanding that Sai Sansthan should pay Rs.50 crore immediately.

Unfortunately this Corporation whose President is the Chief Minister of State doesn’t have its own funds.
This company was expecting to finish this project of Rs.325 crore rupees,
by taking some money from the Shirdi Sai Baba Sansthan and the balance as donations from Sai devotees.
The State Government had given approx Rs.35 crore which were used to acquire approx 750 acre land in Kakadi village.
The company still needs 150 acre more land.
Actually the Central Government’s “Airport Authority of India” was ready to construct this airport.
In fact, the Aviation Minister Shri.Praful Patel had earlier declared the same.
But finally the contract was given to one company in Andhra Pradesh who has already spent about Rs.30-40 crores on this work,
and now the Company's Chief Officer is demanding Rs.50 crore from the Shirdi Sai Sansthan.


- NO GUARANTEE ABOUT DONATIONS -
Company officials are not sure about the world wide donations they could collect,
hence they have opted an easy way out of asking for the remaining funds from the Shirdi Sai Sansthan
who would easily manage to collect it if they asked the devotees to donate for this cause.
Therefore, the alternative which is being discussed is that the Sai Sansthan should collect the funds
and ultimately take the ownership of the Airport.
But the opinion of the people is that the State Government should give the required funds to complete the work on the Airport.


- GOVERNMENT HAS NOT MADE ANY FINANCIAL PROVISIONS -
It is becoming very difficult to manage this huge expense of Rs.325 crores by way of donations.
On one hand the Government has made no provision for the same in the Budget and
on the other hand, Sai Devotees & the Gram Udyog people don't want the Sansthan to use funds from the Sansthan’s Treasury,
to protest which, earlier too they were out on the streets in protest.
This issue has already been taken up many times & decision about the new demand of Rs.50 crores from Sansthan is awaited.

Source: http://www.esakal.com/esakal/20110405/5065156913054508275.htm


Sairam,
rOhit beHaL

 

[rOhit beHaL]

SHIRDI BANDH !!!
- IN PROTEST OF SAI TRUST FUNDING SHIRDI AIRPORT -
20th April`2011

The Maharashtra State Government has sought financial assistance of Rs 50 crore from the Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust
for the completion of the Shirdi airport. A similar request on an earlier occasion had caught flak from locals who objected to
the use of funds raised by the Temple Trust for the facility. The protesters had even held a Shirdi Bandh last August.

The Sai Temple Trust, which resolved to contribute towards the Airport's development in 2008, had to withhold its decision.
The project is now being affected due to a paucity of funds.

Sasane however conceded that the airport project would boost religious tourism in and around Shirdi
and that the region's industrial development should go hand-in-hand with the airport project to boost employment.
Sai Trust's Chairman Shri.Jayant Sasane said that a decision would be taken after consulting the Law & Judiciary department.

But to protest this move of Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust`Shirdi to donate half a billion rupees for the proposed Shirdi airport,
around 80 villagers on Wednesday 20th April`2011 went on an indefinite hunger strike and parts of Shirdi observed a shutdown.

The villagers, united under different groups, have staged a sit-in-cum-hunger strike outside the Sai Baba Temple.
Supported by various political parties like the Nationalist Congress Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena,
 they have opposed the decision of the SSST to make a donation of Rs.50 crore
towards the cost of the ongoing work on the Shirdi airport coming up at Kakdi Village, on the outskirts of the town.

The existing Board of Trustees came into being 23rd Aug`2004, and the government gave it two extensions,
the present extended tenure will end in 2013. The groups opposing the SSST's move have claimed that the Board of Trustees is
allegedly misusing its powers in making such a huge financial commitment for the airport project.

In the meeting held by protesting opposition party in Shirdi, the following resolutions were passed:
1)   Shirdi Sansthan should not give Rs.50 crores to Kakdi (Shirdi) Airport.
2)   Present board of Trustees should be dissolved.
3)   In the new board of Trustees locals should be given 50% representation.
4)   An Inquiry into the Management of the present board of Trustees by a retired Judge.
5)   Shirdi Development Board should be dissolved.

While, at the same time, the present ruling party in Shirdi Muncipality held another meeting, wherein
a resolution was passed by the Shirdi Sansthan to accept the Govt's demand of Rs.50 crores for the Shirdi Airport.
Another resolution congratulating Shirdi Sansthan on their generous contribution of Rs.62 crores to construct roads in Shirdi,
was also passed.

Denying the villagers' claims, an official spokesman for the SSST said the proposal for making the donation has not yet been finalised.
"Moreover, it will be another two years before the airport will be ready.
We will take a decision on the issue as and when required," the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, several parts of Shirdi wore a deserted look with shops and establishments and educational institutions remaining closed
in view of the shutdown. The shutdown was nearly 70% success and peaceful and there are no reports of any untoward incident
from anywhere in the town. The Sai Baba temple however remained open.




- COUNTER PROTEST TO SHIRDI BANDH -
21st April`2011

To counter the Shirdi Bandh called by the opposing political parties, on Thursday 21st April`2011,
a few members of Shirdi's ruling Municipal party too went on a hunger strike outside the Maruti temple @ Shirdi.
They alleged that the Shirdi Bandh was all politically motivated and that the Shirdi Sai Sansthan had in the past 7 years done a lot for Shirdi.
The 'Shri Sainath' Super Speciality Hospital does the maximum Heart Operations in India which has proved very beneficial for the poor.
Plus the Sai Sansthan operated "Prasadalaya" feeds around 30,000 to 40,000 people everyday at a very subsidized rate of Rs.10 per person.
The work on the Beautification of Shirdi has started, Proper Roads are being made
and the work of the Water Purification plant is almost done which will make clean drinking water available to pilgrims free of cost
at the prasadalaya, hospital, temple premises and the dharamshala.




~~ VIDEO ~~

















 










"When mOney grOws, that mOney causes mOre pOlitics & mOre religiOn.
As pOlitics grOws, sO dO mOney & religiOn.
Likewise, when religiOn grows sO dO pOlitics & mOney .
And, when any of them grOw, the Magnitude of the cycle Increases."....anOnymOus


rOhit beHaL

[rOhit beHaL]

SHIRDI SAI TRUST PAYS Rs.15 CRORE TO STATE GOVERNMENT
FOR SHIRDI AIRPORT
09th July`2011

The proposal by Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust to give Rs.50 crore to the state government to construct an airport in Shirdi
has divided its residents, politicians and devotees.

While locals are protesting the move, Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust has gone ahead
and given the first installment of Rs.15 crores
to the Maharashtra State Government that will help construct the Airport @ Shirdi which is proposed to be built by the
State government-owned Maharashtra Airport Development Corporation Limited at a cost of around Rs.300 crore.

The Trust has given the amount to the "Shirdi Viman Vikas Samiti",
created by the State Government to empower the Shirdi Temple Trust with the authority
to give financial assistance and grants to the boards, companies or institutions under the Maharashtra State control.

At the start of the Airport Project,
the Maharashtra State government had promised Rs.40 crore to acquire the land for the project, but gave only Rs.20 crore.
Then the Shirdi Santhan was asked to give Rs.100 crore but on the opposition by Shirdi locals the amount was reduced to Rs.50 crore.

To be noted that all Airports from Tirupati to Kolhapur have been constructed with Government funding
but Shirdi has not been fortunate enough.
So, the Shirdi Locals/villagers, supported by various political parties, had opposed the decision of the SSST to make a donation of Rs.50 crore
towards the cost of the ongoing work on the Shirdi airport, by staging a sit-in-cum-hunger strike outside the Sai Temple, earlier on this issue.
However even now they are opposing this decision to pay a total of Rs.50 crore to build it and have threatened to intensify their agitation.

They are protesting against the use of Donation Money, which comes from devotees, for funding the Airport project,
which is the State Government's responsibility & ultimately the Governments agencies will make money from the Air services.
They want the Shirdi Sansthan’s funds to be used for the welfare of poor people.



Former Union Civil Aviation Minister Shri.Praful Patel said that the Indian Airport Development Authority had offered
to take up the Shirdi Airport Development Project as the Airport Authority had the requisite experience & funds
for taking up the project but the State Government however entrusted the work to the Maharashtra Airport Development Company,
which gave this work to another company in Andhra Pradesh and eventually now has ended up with paucity of funds.

Also in July`2011 a Delhi-based entrepreneur and devotee of Sai Baba visited Shirdi and met
the Sai Sansthan's office-bearers and offered to construct the airport on 'Built, Operate and Transfer' (B.O.T) basis.
This entrepreneur's company has already constructed airports in various parts of the country including Delhi.
This entrepreneur is said to have met the Sai Sansthan’s Chairman Shri.Jayant Sasane
and asked him to arrange his meeting with the Maharashtra's Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan to discuss the issue.

Source: Times of India / Sakaal Times







The gOvernments yOuth Brigade
cOuld nOt prOve their mettle in sO many Years,
Which the cOmmOn Man's yOuth cOuld,
on 05th April`2011, in just One Day !!!



rOhit beHaL

[rOhit beHaL]

- BEGGING RALLY AGAINST SHIRDI SANSTHAN FUNDING SHIRDI AIRPORT -

On 21st July`2011,
 the youth activists of BJP had organised a Begging Rally just outside the Sai Baba Temple @ Shirdi,
in-protest of Shirdi Sansthan using the donation funds for the completion of the Shirdi Airport,
which actually was the duty of the State Government.

They begged on the roads and decided to give the collected money to the Shirdi Sansthan,
for them to use it instead of the donation money for completion of the Airport work,
as they were against the Sai Santhan giving Rs.50 Crores to the Government for the same.

They have also threatened "Shirdi Bandh" and Self-immolation near the Sai Temple itself,
if the Sansthan goes ahead & gives the money to the Government.













While, on 22nd July`2011,
Union Tourism Minister Subodh Kant Sahay visited Shirdi
and said that his ministry would provide Rs.300 crore for the development
of the Sai Baba Temple premises and Shirdi town.
He assured that he would discuss the issue with the Maharashtra Chief Minister.
He said that the development of Shirdi has been rather slow,
considering that nearly 30,000 devotees come to the town every day
and so if they could double the sector's contribution to GDP, lakhs of new jobs would be created.

As to the Sai Baba Temple Trust giving money to the Maharashtra Government for proposed airport at Shirdi,
he said it was not right for the Government to turn to the Shirdi Trust for this purpose !!!





Source: Dainikbhaskar.com / Starmajha.com



Allah Sai,
rOhit beHaL

[rOhit beHaL]

- SHIV SENA OPPOSES SHIRDI TRUST FUNDING SHIRDI AIRPORT -
30th Jul`2011

The Political Party Shiv Sena has said that it was wrong on the part of Sai Baba Sansthan (Trust)
to pay Rs 50 crore for the development of Airport at Shirdi.

After visiting Shri Sai Baba temple, Shiv Sena MP Bharatkumar Raut said it was wrong that Sansthan
is allotting funds for the proposed Airport, which will be used by few rich people
and said that he would raise the issue in the Parliament.

Source: http://ibnlive.in.com


Allah Sai.
rOhit beHaL

[rOhit beHaL]

SHIRDI SANSTHAN GETS STATE GOVERNMENTS NOD
FOR FUNDING THE AIRPORT @ SHIRDI
01st Aug`2011

Shirdi is all set to get a new Airport as the Maharashtra State Government in the Legislative Council has
 cleared the decks to allow the temple’s managing trust, Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust,
to release Rs 50 crore for the construction of the Airport at Kakdi Village near Shirdi.

Amidst a heated debate, where the Opposition benches accused the state of trying to utilise Temple money
to serve rich devotees, the chief minister of Maharashtra denied any such vested interest.

The Chief Minister, Government of Maharashtra said that their concern was to improve the facilities @ Shirdi
to benefit devotees and that for decades, the second richest trust in the country with an annual income of Rs 300 crore,
had already constructed bus depots, rest houses and hospitals. He added that they wanted to give religious tourism a boost.

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com


Allah Sai,
rOhit beHaL

 

[rOhit beHaL]

PROTESTS INTENSIFY
AGAINST SHIRDI SANSTHAN'S FUNDING OF THE AIRPORT @ SHIRDI
04th Aug`2011

On Wednesday 03rd Aug`2011, Shiv Sena workers took out a protest rally to the Shirdi Sansthan's Office in the Temple premises @ Shirdi.
They were protesting against the Shirdi Sansthans decision to give Rs.50 crore to the Maharashtra Government
for the construction of an Airport at Kakdi Village near Shirdi.
Holding flags, they voiced their protest by shouting slogans against Shirdi Sansthan's Members.

The Shiv Sena had pre-warned the Sai Sansthan about their protest earlier by gathering at the Temple's Main Gate
and in the evening they reached the Sai Sansthans office and as no senior officer present in the Office,
they smeared Black color on the face of the Sansthan's Administrative Officer present.
They said that the Officer was not their aim but the trustees board on the whole were.

They demanded that the Sai Sansthan roll back their decision of using the devotees donated money
for fulfilling the duties of the Maharashtra State Governments.
They also demanded that within a period of 8 days, the Shirdi Sansthan take back the first installment of Rs.15 Crore which
they have already given to the Maharashtra Government for the Airport @ Shirdi or else they would intensify their protest
and smear black color on the face of the Shirdi Sansthan's Chairman as well.

Later the Police intervened and arrested 17 workers of the Shiv Sena in this connection,
but the court later released all of them on bail.

The Shiv Sena said that it is the duty of the State Government to make an Airport and not the resposibility of the Shirdi Sansthan,
and that Sai Baba would be happy if the donated money was used for the welfare of the poor, Rehabilitation of the Shirdi by-pass road,
the Dam project for Shirdi etc and not for the benefit of the Rich-n-Wealthy.

Source: http://www.esakal.com


_





"Shirdi Sai Baba was a "Fakir",
but yet devOtees dOnate gOlden crOwn and gOld thrOnes fOr him.
My Life is alsO like a Fakir.
I alsO get a lOt of mOney, but I dOn't keep it tO rOt in Swiss Banks,
instead use it tO help the pOOr generOusly !".....Bal Thackeray




rOhit beHaL

[rOhit beHaL]

"GO-BEG" RALLY @ SHIRDI IN PROTEST OF SANSTHAN'S AIRPORT FUNDING
08th Aug`2011




On Sunday 07th Aug`2011,
Shiv Sena workers staged a 'Bheekh-Maango' (go-beg) demonstration in Shirdi to protest the Sai Baba Temple Trust's
decision to give the Maharashtra government Rs.50 crore for the construction of the Airport near Shirdi @ Kakdi Village.

Sena workers were led by Shirdi's Local MP, Shri.Bhausaheb Waghchaure.

The Sai Trust, so far, has given Rs35 crore to the government.
To decry the Maharashtra Government's demand of money for building an Airport near Shirdi,
Sena workers wore mask-faces of Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, minsters Narayan Rane and Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil,
with begging-bowls in hand.

Speaking on this occasion, Waghchaure said if the state was short of funds,
it could build the airport on built-operate-transfer basis, and not take the money donated by devotees of Sai Baba.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com


Allah Sai,
rOhit beHaL

[rOhit beHaL]

SHIRDI AIRPORT BILL GETS THE GREEN SIGNAL
FROM MAHARASHTRA GOVERNMENT
09th Aug`2011

On Monday 08th Aug`2011,
the Maharashtra State Assembly approved an amendment to the Shri Sai Baba Sansthan Trust Bill,
paving the way for an International Greenfield Airport at Shirdi.
This is the first time a religious trust will assist in funding the development of an Airport in Maharashtra.
 
The Legislative Council had cleared the amendment last week but had come under attack from the Opposition,
who accused the government of eyeing money from religious trusts to help build infrastructure since its own coffers were empty.
Leader of Opposition, Eknath Khadse also said this was an attack on Hindu religious Trusts
as a similar move to control religious trusts of minorities would never be made by the State Government.  

But when the Maharashtra State Assembly passed the Bill legally with a voice voting,
all hurdles have been removed for the Airport's development @ Shirdi.
And now, the Shirdi Sai Sansthan can provide Rs.50 crore to the Maharashtra Government for construction of the Shirdi Airport.
 
Initially, the opposition including the Shiv Sena and the BJP had opposed the move of the State Government
to seek the Sai Baba Sansthan's funds for the construction of the Airport.
The leaders of the Opposition parties withdrew their objections to the move after Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan
assured them that the Government was planning to executive the Airport project on 'Built, Operate and Transfer'
and that the Centre's financial assistance will also be sought for the project.
 
Maharashtra's Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said the move was aimed at providing faster transport facilities for devotees,
who came from across the country and even abroad.
He said that the State Government was planning to build Airports across the State, including the backward areas.
He added that the Shirdi Sansthan Trust had offered to help, if the State could provide the Land for constructing the runway,
while the Trust will look after the Terminal Building and other facilities.

The airport is now coming up on 300 hectares of land, 11km from Shirdi.
The Shirdi Trust has provided a grant of Rs.50 crore to the nodal agency, Maharashtra Airport Development Corporation.
The Shirdi Trust will transfer funds to MADC which will have to give utilisation certificate to the former within 3 months.
This is seed money that usually has to be provided by the State Govt.

Replying to the opposition's objections,
Chavan said some conditions will be imposed for utilising the Rs.50 crore funds sought from the Sai Sansthan.
He said that one of the conditions is that the  funds should be utilised only for the Airport construction.
Besides, it will also be binding to maintain an independent records of the funds are utilised  
and these should be announced after an interval of every three months.

Source: http://www.sakaaltimes.com







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