The airport authorities for Navi Mumbai, the next big airport project to be offered to private developers, have been asked to make connectivity a part of the project, according to senior officials in the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

The idea of making connectivity a part of airport projects is being examined by the government in the light of the experience of Hyderabad and Bangalore airports - both of which will be ready way before the access roads to them are in place.

"This could add a new cost component to the venture, but in the long run, it will be worth it," said a ministry source. This has also been mooted by the private sector developers, who face the biggest flak if passengers encounter problems in reaching the facility.

In both Bangalore and Hyderabad, the project cost would have increased by Rs 500 crore to Rs 1,000 crore (from Rs 5 billion to Rs 10 billion) each if connectivity had been part of the project.

In fact in Hyderabad, GMR (one of the main consortium partner) had offered to take up the elevated highway project (which will cost around Rs 450 crore) but the Andhra Pradesh government did not agree, arguing that the group would be bagging too many of the prestigious projects in the state.

However, since L&T is one of the partners, company sources feel that they could have built the access roads with as much ease as the roads within the premises of the airport.

The elevated expressway (a joint venture of Simplex Constructions and Som Dutt builders) is to be completed by September 2008 but the progress on the ground suggests that the basis of that claim is far from obvious.

However, the price of this is being paid by both the facilities now, as access is the biggest problem staring both airports in the face, as they get ready to start commercial operations next month.

A task force has been set up by the Planning Commission to push and ensure that there is improved connectivity between the four privately managed airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad and the rest of the city.

All the four facilities have submitted their plans and recommendations, which the task force will help facilitate by coordinating with the state governments. This has been felt necessary in view of the growing traffic congestion and consequent time taken to reach the airports from the city centres.

In Bangalore and Hyderabad, this has become a critical issue, with many residents against the new airport facilities on these grounds alone.

While in Hyderabad, work on this front is progressing (the state government is pushing ahead at the behest of GMR), in Bangalore, the pace of progress is painfully slow, if there is any progress at all.