Air India building to again sport logo on top

Air India building to again sport logo on top

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) has permitted Air India to reinstall the logo on top of its building at Nariman Point.

A high-level meeting of the MCZMA presided over by its chairman and environment secretary Ajoy Mehta approved a record number of 35 proposals, including the re-installation of the Air India logo and proposed rerouting of the Mumbai-Manmad pipeline section passing through the Vashi creek, Ulhas river and its streams.

A senior environment department official on Friday said the MCZMA meeting had not been held for long owing to various reasons.

"It's a fact that the meeting of the MCZMA could not be held for nearly eight months; as a result, there was delay in taking decisions on pending proposals," the official said. "All proposals are crucial and now we are sure the entire backlog will be cleared in a time-bound manner. We expect that the MCZMA will meet at least once in 15 days to clear the backlog."

The official said a meeting scheduled in May could not be held because of the code of conduct following the Lok Sabha election. Subsequent meetings, too, had to be postponed owing to the code of conduct following the assembly polls. "The MCZMA had approached the chief electoral officer for permission to hold the meeting of the authority, but the permission was denied," the official said.

Later, all bureaucrats were busy with the winter sessionin Nagpur.

On the Air India proposal, the official said that after the merger of Air India and Indian Airlines, the Air India logo on its building was removed. In October 2014, the Air India sought the permission of the MCZMA for the installation of the new logo.

CRZ rules state any construction activity within 500 metres of the high-tide line requires the permission.

"There was a delay in taking a decision on the Air India application," the official said. "At the MCZMA meeting on January 13, the proposal was cleared. Now Air India has been granted permission to install the logo.''