Mumbai: GVK sends bill of Rs 10 crore to CIDCO, JNPT for Narendra Modi's visit

PM Narendra Modi speaks at the ground-breaking ceremony of the Navi Mumbai airport. File pic

GVK will have to wait longer to find out whether CIDCO and JNPT will share the cost incurred on the foundation ceremony of the Navi Mumbai International Airport that was held on February 18. GVK wants the two agencies to bear 30 per cent each of the total cost of the mega event held at Ulwe.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for the airport and inaugurated the fourth phase of the port terminal constructed by an international firm. GVK, which had outsourced the function to a top event management firm, has written letters to the two government agencies, mentioning the cost incurred as Rs 10.34 crore.

A senior CIDCO official confirmed that GVK has written a letter, asking them to share the expenses. "GVK wants both CIDCO and JNPT to pay 30 per cent each for the function," the official said, adding, "The letter will be tabled in the board members' meeting to arrive at a decision."

Sources close to port authorities, on the other hand, said that on many occasions in the past JNPT had borne the entire cost of events attended by VIPs and dignitaries from the Union and state governments but never made such a demand, of asking other participants or stakeholders to share the cost.

Division of load
GVK operates Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) and has been awarded the contract to construct the Navi Mumbai one too. The new international airport on the city's outskirts has been proposed to decongest and take the load off CSIA.

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