the proposed construction of a parallel runway at the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, as pr…
(No. B/276) Mr T. Apollon (Second Member for Mahebourg & Plaine Magnien) asked the Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, Home Affairs and External Communications, Minister of Finance, Minister for Rodrigues and Outer Islands whether, in regard to the proposed construction of a parallel runway at the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, as provided for in the Airport Master Plan, he will, for the benefit of the House, obtain from Airport of Mauritius Ltd., information as to where matters stand regarding the acquisition of land from the inhabitants of the region therefor.
Madam Speaker, I am informed by the Chief Executive Officer of Airports of Mauritius Co. Ltd (AML) that the Airport Master Plan of 2004 made provision for the construction of a parallel taxiway of the length of 3,450 metres, which was also to be used as a runway in emergency situations. Six years later, that is, on 12 April 2010, AML decided to construct the taxiway of length of 2,450 metres only. The additional length of 1,000 metres would require the acquisition of private lands/properties along the ex-Airport Road at Chat Gaon and Solitude villages. This taxiway was commissioned in July 2013 and is operational since that date. With regard to Chat Gaon Village, for the period 2007 to 2014, 42 properties were acquired for an amount of Rs104,309,109, excluding Notary, Registration Fees and Land Transfer Tax. In addition, another 63 properties had to be acquired. Accordingly, after a bidding exercise, the services of a Chartered Property Valuer and Land Surveyor were retained in 2019 to carry out a valuation exercise of these properties. To date, AML has acquired 14 of the 63 properties, for a total amount of Rs60 million, excluding all relevant fees, as I said. Regarding the village of Solitude, a survey of residential properties was carried out by a professional Land Surveyor in November 2011. They wanted to acquire 32 properties to create an operational safety buffer zone around the airport. As at December 2024, 20 plots of land/properties had been acquired for the total sum of Rs47,653,114. 12 plots of land/properties have not yet been acquired as some of these owners did not have title deeds or same were not in order while others wanted an alternative plot of land and they were also not agreeable with the proposed amount.
Yes!
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Thank you. Can the hon. Prime Minister consider this matter as soon as possible? Because the inhabitants from this region are living with daily stress as they cannot invest in or renovate their existing houses.
The exercise is ongoing. The evaluation report of the plots of land of both villages dates back to 2011. AML is now planning to appoint a new Chartered Property Valuer and Land Surveyor to review and update the existing reports of the 49 properties at Chat Gaon and the remaining 12 at Solitude village. Negotiation will start thereafter.
Yes, the hon. Third Member for Rivière des Anguilles and Souillac! TOTALISATOR OPERATORS – GAMBLING LEVY – YEAR 2020