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—rti-for-airport-expansion [2026/07/10 23:19] (current) – created - external edit 127.0.0.1
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 +{{htmlmetatags>metatag-title=(Airport expansion RTI to AAI - RTI Wiki)&metatag-description=(File an RTI to the Airports Authority of India for any airport expansion: DPR, EIA clearance, land acquisition, contractor, milestones and spend. Fee is Rs 10.)&metatag-keywords=(airport expansion RTI, AAI RTI, EIA airport, PPP airport RTI, DIAL MIAL RTI, environmental clearance RTI)&metatag-robots=(index,follow)&metatag-og:title=(Airport expansion RTI to AAI - RTI Wiki)&metatag-og:description=(File an RTI to the Airports Authority of India for any airport expansion: DPR, EIA clearance, land acquisition, contractor, milestones and spend. Fee is Rs 10.)&metatag-og:type=(article)}}
  
 +====== Airport expansion — RTI to AAI ======
 +
 +Ramesh lives next to a small city airport. One morning the paper says the airport will be "expanded and modernised". A few weeks later he hears that farm land on the edge of his village has been marked for acquisition. Nobody in the panchayat has seen any map, cost sheet, or environment report. The contractor is already moving machines in. Ramesh wants to ask one question: **who approved this, what will it cost, and what was checked first?**
 +
 +The airport manager turns him away. The revenue officer says land records are "with the project". This is where most citizens give up. They should not. The Airports Authority of India, or **AAI**, is a public authority under the Right to Information Act. Ramesh has a legal right to ask, in writing, and get a reply within 30 days. This guide shows how.
 +
 +<WRAP info>**Direct answer.** File your RTI to the **Airports Authority of India** (a Central public authority). Ask for the DPR, the environmental clearance, land-acquisition status, the contractor and contract value, project milestones, and money spent so far. For PPP airports like Delhi (DIAL) and Mumbai (MIAL), you can file **directly to the operator** as well — see the FAQ below. Fee is Rs 10.</WRAP>
 +
 +===== Who controls airports, and why that matters for your RTI =====
 +
 +Airports in India fall into three buckets, and the bucket decides where you send your application:
 +
 +  - **AAI-owned and operated airports** — the largest group, including most small-city and regional airports. AAI is the public authority. File straight to AAI.
 +  - **PPP joint-venture airports** — Delhi (DIAL), Mumbai (MIAL), Bengaluru (BIAL), Hyderabad. Here AAI holds a stake (26 per cent at DIAL/MIAL), takes a large revenue share, and leases out government land. The Central Information Commission, or **CIC**, has held these operators to be **public authorities** under §2(h) of the RTI Act, because the joint venture was created under §12A of the AAI Act. So you can file **directly to the operator's CPIO**, not only "via AAI". The "via AAI" route still works as a fallback.
 +  - **Airports run by private groups without an AAI joint-venture stake** (some Adani-operated airports). The legal position is genuinely open — not yet tested. If unsure, file to AAI and ask it to source the record under §2(f) (see the case law section below).
 +
 +The statutory backbone is the **Airports Authority of India Act, 1994** (Act No. 55 of 1994, enacted 12 September 1994, in force 1 April 1995). This created AAI as a body corporate, and is the reason AAI is a "public authority" under the RTI Act. For PPP airports, the key power is **§12A of the AAI Act 1994**, which lets AAI transfer its functions or assets to a joint venture — that transfer is what pulls the private operator inside the RTI net.
 +
 +===== The environmental clearance angle =====
 +
 +Big airport works need a **prior environmental clearance** from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, or **MoEFCC**. Under the **EIA Notification 2006** (S.O. 1533(E) dated 14 September 2006), airports are listed at **Item 7(a) of the Schedule** as **Category "A" projects**. In plain terms: every airport development, expansion or modernisation needs Central-level clearance from the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC-Infra II) before work begins. There is no short "screening" stage for Category A — a full appraisal is mandatory.
 +
 +This matters for your RTI. You are not only asking "how much did it cost?" You can also ask "show me the environmental clearance and the EIA report behind it". If the clearance is missing, or its conditions (noise barriers, tree plantation, drainage) are not being followed, that is a story in itself — exactly the kind of larger-public-interest record the RTI Act exists to surface. See [[rti-for-pollution-noc|pollution NOC RTI]] for the same logic on industrial consent orders.
 +
 +===== Step-by-step: how to file =====
 +
 +**Step 1 — Identify the right public authority.** For an AAI airport, that is AAI. For DIAL/MIAL/BIAL, file to the operator's CPIO (mark a copy to AAI). When in doubt, file to AAI — it can be asked to obtain the record from the private custodian.
 +
 +**Step 2 — Find the CPIO.** AAI runs a dedicated RTI portal with department-wise CPIOs and First Appellate Authorities. The headquarters address is **Airports Authority of India, Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan, Safdarjung Airport, New Delhi – 110003.** Pick the CPIO whose department matches your question — Engineering for the DPR and contractor, Environment for the EIA, Land for acquisition, Finance for expenditure.
 +
 +**Step 3 — Write the application under §6 of the RTI Act, 2005.** You do not need a lawyer. A plain application, in English or Hindi (or your state's official language), with your name and contact details, is enough. A template is below.
 +
 +**Step 4 — Pay the fee.** AAI is a Central public authority, so the **Right to Information (Regulation of Fee and Cost) Rules** apply. The fee is **Rs 10**, payable by cash against a receipt, by IPO / DD / banker's cheque to the Accounts Officer, or by electronic means. BPL certificate-holders are exempt — attach proof. See [[claim-rti-fee-waiver-bpl-2026|how to claim the BPL RTI fee waiver]].
 +
 +**Step 5 — Wait 30 days.** The CPIO must reply within **30 days** (48 hours where the information concerns life or liberty). No reply, or an evasive reply, sends you to the next rung.
 +
 +**Step 6 — First Appeal.** File a **First Appeal** to the First Appellate Authority (FAA) within **30 days** of the expiry. The FAA must dispose of it within 30 days, extendable to 45. See [[rti-first-appeal-guide|the RTI first appeal guide]].
 +
 +**Step 7 — Second Appeal to the CIC.** Still unsatisfied? File a **Second Appeal** to the Central Information Commission within **90 days**. See [[file-second-appeal-cic-sic-2026|how to file a second appeal to the CIC/SIC]].
 +
 +===== The questions to ask =====
 +
 +Ask all five in one application — the fee stays Rs 10 no matter how many points you raise. Each maps to a specific record the authority must hold:
 +
 +  - **Detailed Project Report (DPR).** The master feasibility document — scope, design capacity, phasing, business case. Ask for "a certified copy of the DPR, including the cost estimate and any revised estimates".
 +  - **Environmental clearance and EIA report.** Ask for "the environmental clearance granted under the EIA Notification 2006 for Item 7(a) Category A, the EIA report, and the minutes of the EAC-Infra II meeting that recommended clearance". If clearance conditions exist, ask for the compliance status too.
 +  - **Land-acquisition status.** Ask for "village-wise land acquired or proposed to be acquired, awards passed, compensation paid, and possession taken". This tells Ramesh whether his village's fields were lawfully taken.
 +  - **Contractor and contract value.** Ask for "the name of the contractor or concessionaire, the work package, the contract value, and the date of award". This catches cost-padding and front-running.
 +  - **Milestones and expenditure to date.** Ask for "the physical and financial progress for the latest quarter, milestone dates, and total expenditure incurred against budget". This shows whether the project is on time or quietly bleeding money.
 +
 +===== Ready-to-use template =====
 +
 +<code>
 +To: The Central Public Information Officer
 +    Airports Authority of India [or DIAL / MIAL / BIAL as applicable]
 +    Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan, Safdarjung Airport, New Delhi – 110003
 +
 +Subject: Application under §6 of the Right to Information Act, 2005 —
 +        Airport expansion at [airport name]
 +
 +Sir/Madam,
 +
 +Please furnish certified copies of the following records relating to the
 +expansion / modernisation of [airport name]:
 +
 +1. The Detailed Project Report (DPR), including the original and any
 +   revised cost estimate.
 +2. The environmental clearance granted under the EIA Notification 2006
 +   (Item 7(a), Category A), the EIA report, and the EAC-Infra II minutes.
 +3. Village-wise land acquired or proposed to be acquired, awards passed,
 +   compensation paid, and possession taken.
 +4. Name of the contractor / concessionaire, work package, contract value,
 +   and date of award.
 +5. Physical and financial progress for the latest quarter, milestone
 +   dates, and total expenditure incurred against budget.
 +
 +If any of the above is held by a private custodian, please obtain it
 +under §2(f) of the RTI Act and furnish it to me on grounds of larger
 +public interest.
 +
 +Fee: Rs 10 paid by [cash / IPO / DD / online].
 +
 +[Name, address, phone, email]
 +</code>
 +
 +A fuller walk-through of the mechanics — online vs offline filing, tracking, and common slip-ups — is in [[how-to-file-rti-india|how to file an RTI in India]] and [[file-rti-online-india|the online RTI filing manual]].
 +
 +===== What it costs beyond the fee =====
 +
 +The Rs 10 fee only buys the right to ask. If the record runs long, the RTI Rules set copying charges: **Rs 2 per A4/A3 page**, **Rs 50 per diskette**, and **Rs 5 per hour** for inspecting records in person after the first free hour. Postal charges above Rs 50 are borne by you. Ask for the cost estimate up front so you are not surprised.
 +
 +===== Common mistakes =====
 +
 +  - **Filing at the airport counter.** The airport manager is not the CPIO. Send the application to AAI headquarters or the named CPIO on the AAI RTI portal.
 +  - **Skipping the EIA ask.** Most people ask only about money and land. The environmental clearance is the single most useful record — it is the one document a project cannot legally proceed without, and its conditions are checkable.
 +  - **Bundling five topics into one vague line.** Number your questions, as in the template. The CPIO then has to answer each one or cite a specific exemption for each.
 +  - **Forgetting the §2(f) line.** If the record sits with a private party (a concessionaire, a noise consultant), the line asking AAI to obtain it under §2(f) is what unlocks it — the case below shows why this matters.
 +
 +===== A real CIC decision that worked =====
 +
 +In **Bharanitharan B v. CPIO, Airports Authority of India** (CIC/AAOIN/A/2021/662583, decided 4 January 2023, Information Commissioner Amita Pandove), the appellant wanted passenger-count data held by a private airline (Vistara), not by AAI. The CIC held that AAI must **obtain the information from the private custodian under §2(f)** and furnish it on grounds of **larger public interest** (the Route Navigation Facility Charge depends on those numbers), within 15 days.
 +
 +The lesson is direct: even when the record is not in AAI's own cabinet, AAI can be made to fetch it. Include the §2(f) line in your application. The same logic supports asking PPP operators to pull records from their concessionaires.
 +
 +===== FAQ =====
 +
 +  - **Q: For a PPP airport like Delhi or Mumbai, do I file to AAI or the operator?** The CIC has held DIAL (2007), MIAL (2008, reaffirmed 30 May 2011 by IC Sushma Singh) and BIAL to be public authorities under §2(h), because AAI holds 26 per cent equity, takes a large revenue share (38.7 per cent at MIAL, about 45.99 per cent at DIAL), leases government land at nominal rates, and the JV was created under §12A of the AAI Act. So you can file **directly to the operator's CPIO**. Filing via AAI is a valid fallback. For airports run by private groups **without** an AAI JV stake, the position is not yet tested — file to AAI and use the §2(f) route.
 +  - **Q: Noise and air-quality complaints during construction?** File a separate RTI to the AAI Environment cell asking for noise-monitoring data, ambient air-quality readings at the site boundary, and the compliance report against the clearance conditions. Pair it with [[rti-for-pollution-noc|the pollution NOC RTI guide]].
 +  - **Q: Can I ask about the UDAN subsidy for a route from this airport?** Yes — UDAN is a Central scheme. See [[udan-scheme-india-2026|the UDAN guide]] for the right questions (VGF disbursed, route bidding, load factors).
 +  - **Q: How is this different from a railway station rebuild RTI?** The structure is identical — identify the public authority, ask for DPR, clearance, land, contractor, spend — but the authority changes. See [[rti-for-railway-station-development|the railway station development RTI guide]].
 +  - **Q: I missed the 30-day reply. What now?** File a First Appeal to the FAA within 30 days of expiry. The FAA has 30 days (extendable to 45) to decide. If still unsatisfied, a Second Appeal lies to the CIC within 90 days.
 +
 +===== Pro tips =====
 +
 +  - **Cross-check the project on the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) website** before you file. It often lists the sanctioned cost, the concessionaire, and the target completion date — useful to compare against the RTI reply and catch gaps.
 +  - **Pair your RTI with CAG audit reports on aviation.** A CAG finding quoted in your application makes evasion harder.
 +  - **Ask for "certified copies".** That phrase makes the reply legally usable in a later complaint. An uncertified printout is easier to disown.
 +  - **Keep one question per numbered item.** It forces a point-by-point reply and exposes which record is being withheld — and why.
 +
 +===== Related reading =====
 +  * [[rti-for-railway-station-development|Railway station development RTI]]
 +  * [[rti-for-pollution-noc|Pollution NOC RTI]]
 +  * [[udan-scheme-india-2026|UDAN regional connectivity scheme — VGF, route bidding, citizen-route economics]]
 +  * [[how-to-file-rti-india|How to file an RTI in India]]
 +  * [[rti-first-appeal-guide|RTI first appeal guide]]
 +  * [[file-second-appeal-cic-sic-2026|How to file a second appeal to the CIC/SIC]]
 +  * [[claim-rti-fee-waiver-bpl-2026|How to claim the BPL RTI fee waiver]]
 +
 +===== Sources =====
 +  - Airports Authority of India Act, 1994 (Act No. 55 of 1994) — India Code, https://www.indiacode.nic.in/handle/123456789/1979
 +  - AAI RTI portal — CPIOs and First Appellate Authorities, https://www.aai.aero/en/rti/appellate-authority-and-cpio/departments
 +  - EIA Notification 2006 (S.O. 1533(E), 14 Sep 2006) — airports at Item 7(a), Category A
 +  - Right to Information (Regulation of Fee and Cost) Rules — Rs 10 fee, https://cic.gov.in/node/791
 +  - Consolidated Central RTI Rules (copying charges), NITI Aayog PDF
 +  - Bharanitharan B v. CPIO, AAI — CIC/AAOIN/A/2021/662583 (4 Jan 2023), https://indiankanoon.org/doc/101712309/
 +  - CIC held DIAL/MIAL/BIAL to be public authorities under §2(h) RTI Act (order details)
 +
 +//Last reviewed: 3 July 2026.//
 +
 +If this guide helped you hold a public authority to account, [[https://righttoinformation.wiki/book|The RTI Playbook]] takes the method further — templates, appeal drafts, and the escalation ladder in one place. This site is citizen-funded and ad-supported; if you would like to keep these guides free and updated, please consider a donation to support the work.
 +
 +{{tag>rti for airport expansion citizen-rti rti-template aai eia ppp-airport}}===== RTI for airport expansion: How to get land acquisition, environmental clearance, and project records (2026) =====
 +
 +RTI for airport expansion — complete guide on getting land acquisition, environmental clearance, and project records:
 +
 +  - **Step 1: What information can you get through RTI on airport expansion?** (a) the airport expansion — involves: (i) the land acquisition — under the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act 2013, (ii) the environmental clearance — under the EIA Notification 2006, (iii) the project — approval — and the funding — by the AAI — or the state government — or the PPP partner, (iv) the construction — and the operations — by the AAI — or the concessionaire, (b) the RTI — can be filed — with: (i) the Airports Authority of India (AAI) — for the project — and the funding — and the construction — records, (ii) the Ministry of Civil Aviation — for the policy — and the approval — records, (iii) the State Government — for the land acquisition — records, (iv) the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change — for the environmental clearance — records.
 +  - **Step 2: How to file RTI for land acquisition records.** (a) the land acquisition — records — are with: (i) the District Collector — or the Land Acquisition Officer, (ii) the State Government — Revenue Department, (b) the RTI application — can ask: (i) "Provide the details — of the land acquired — for the airport expansion — at [location] — including: (a) the survey numbers, (b) the area — in acres, (c) the compensation — paid, (d) the rehabilitation — provided, (e) the consent — of the landowners", (ii) "Provide the Social Impact Assessment (SIA) report — for the airport expansion — at [location] — including: (a) the affected families, (b) the assessment — of the impact, (c) the mitigation — measures", (iii) "Provide the compensation — disbursement — details — for the land acquired — at [location] — including: (a) the name — of the landowner, (b) the amount — paid, (c) the date — of the payment, (d) the mode — of the payment", (c) the application fee — is Rs 10 — by the IPO — or the online payment.
 +  - **Step 3: How to file RTI for environmental clearance.** (a) the environmental clearance — is granted — by: (i) the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) — for the Category A projects, (ii) the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) — for the Category B projects, (b) the RTI application — can ask: (i) "Provide the Environmental Clearance — granted — for the airport expansion — at [location] — including: (a) the clearance — letter, (b) the conditions — imposed, (c) the compliance — reports, (d) the public hearing — details", (ii) "Provide the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report — for the airport expansion — at [location] — including: (a) the air quality, (b) the noise — levels, (c) the water — and the waste — management, (d) the biodiversity — impact", (iii) "Provide the compliance — reports — submitted — by the AAI — or the concessionaire — for the environmental clearance — conditions — for the period [date] to [date]", (c) the application fee — is Rs 10.
 +  - **Step 4: Airport expansion table — key information and the source.** (a) the land acquisition: (i) the information: the survey numbers — and the area — and the compensation, (ii) the source: the District Collector — or the LAO, (iii) the RTI target: the Revenue Department, (b) the environmental clearance: (i) the information: the EIA — and the clearance — and the compliance, (ii) the source: the MoEFCC — or the SEIAA, (iii) the RTI target: the MoEFCC — or the SEIAA, (c) the project approval: (i) the information: the approval — and the funding — and the timeline, (ii) the source: the AAI — or the Ministry of Civil Aviation, (iii) the RTI target: the AAI — or the MoCA, (d) the construction: (i) the information: the contractor — and the progress — and the quality, (ii) the source: the AAI — or the concessionaire, (iii) the RTI target: the AAI, (e) the operations: (i) the information: the airlines — and the routes — and the passenger — data, (ii) the source: the AAI — or the DGCA, (iii) the RTI target: the AAI — or the DGCA.
 +  - **Step 5: How to file RTI with the AAI.** (a) the AAI — is a public authority — under the RTI Act, (b) the RTI application — can ask: (i) "Provide the project — approval — and the funding — details — for the airport expansion — at [location] — including: (a) the total cost, (b) the source — of the funding, (c) the timeline, (d) the milestones — and the progress", (ii) "Provide the construction — contract — and the progress — details — for the airport expansion — at [location] — including: (a) the contractor, (b) the contract — value, (c) the progress — percentage, (d) the quality — inspection — reports", (iii) "Provide the passenger — and the cargo — statistics — for the airport — at [location] — for the period [date] to [date] — including: (a) the passengers, (b) the cargo, (c) the airlines, (d) the routes", (c) the application fee — is Rs 10 — and the application — is filed — with the CPIO — of the AAI — at the regional — or the head office.
 +  - **Step 6: What if the RTI is denied?** (a) the common denials: (i) "the information — is the commercial confidence" — (Section 8(1)(d) — but the larger public interest — warrants — the disclosure), (ii) "the information — is the third party" — (Section 11 — but the larger public interest — warrants), (iii) "the information — is the cabinet paper" — (Section 8(1)(i) — but after the decision — is taken), (b) the appeal: (i) the First Appeal — within 30 days, (ii) the Second Appeal — with the CIC — within 90 days, (c) the CIC — has held — that the airport expansion — is the public interest — and the disclosure — is warranted.
 +  - **Step 7: Practical tips.** (a) identify — the specific — information — (the land — or the environment — or the project — or the construction) — before filing, (b) file — with the correct — public authority — (the Revenue Department — for the land — or the MoEFCC — for the environment — or the AAI — for the project), (c) cite — the larger public interest — in the application, (d) file the First Appeal — within 30 days — of the denial — or the silence, (e) Example: A citizen — filed RTI — with the District Collector — for the land acquisition — compensation — for the airport expansion — and the Collector — provided — the compensation — disbursement — details — and the citizen — identified — that 3 landowners — were not paid — and filed — the complaint — and the compensation — was released.
 +
 +See [[https://righttoinformation.wiki/rti-for-airport-expansion|Airport Expansion RTI]] and [[https://righttoinformation.wiki/rti-for-highway-construction-status|Highway RTI]].
 +
 +{{tag>rti airport expansion india 2026 land acquisition environmental clearance aai civil aviation rti 2026}}