The Patna High Court has dismissed a petition filed against the proposal to establish an airport at Rajgir.
The petition, filed by 17 individuals, challenged the proposed land acquisition for the airport, citing concerns about the impact on groundwater, irrigation, and flood mitigation.
The petitioners also argued that the proposal violated policy guidelines for setting up greenfield airports within 150 kilometers of an existing airport, specifically the international airport at Gaya.
However, the Court found that the proposal was still in its initial stages, with the Collector yet to consider the grievances of the petitioners.
The bench of Chief Justice K Vinod Chandran and Justice Partha Sarthy noted that the proposal was not a final decision, but rather an initiation of the process for land acquisition.
Furthermore, the Court observed that the policy guidelines for greenfield airports did not impose a complete prohibition on establishing an airport within 150 kilometers of an existing airport, but rather required a decision by the Government on a case-to-case basis.
Given the premature nature of the petition, the Court declined to entertain it.
The Senior Counsel for the petitioners subsequently sought withdrawal of the writ petition, which was granted by the Court.
The petition was therefore dismissed as withdrawn.