Pune Purandar Airport: Land Acquisition Gains Pace as 100 Farmers Voluntarily Agree to Give Land
Pune Purandar Airport: Land Acquisition Gains Pace as 100 Farmers Voluntarily Agree to Give Land
Pune: Land acquisition for the proposed Purandar International Airport has picked up momentum as nearly 100 farmers have agreed to part with their land after the state government announced an attractive compensation package.
According to the Pune District Collectorate, farmers who voluntarily give up their land will be given preference under the “first come, first serve” policy for receiving compensation and developed plots in the upcoming project area. Officials are optimistic that more consent letters will soon be received from farmers across seven villages.
The airport project requires acquisition of 2,673 hectares of land from the villages of Kumbharvalan, Ekhatpur, Udachiwadi, Munjwadi, Khanwadi, Pargaon Memane, and Vanpuri. In a meeting chaired last week by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the details of the compensation package were finalized. The Chief Minister also directed the District Collector to immediately initiate the acquisition process.
Additionally, 268 hectares (670 acres) of land near the proposed airport will be reserved for a planned aerocity, earmarked for a 10% land return to original landowners.
The District Collectorate and the Sub-Divisional Office in Saswad have begun accepting consent letters from farmers willing to give up their land. So far, about 100 farmers have submitted their consent, facilitating acquisition of 50 hectares (around 125 acres) in the initial phase.
As per the plan, land allocation to farmers and stakeholders will follow the “first come, first serve” approach. The Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), which has been designated as the planning authority, will decide how the plots will be distributed for industrial, commercial, and residential purposes in the proposed area.
Officials emphasized that MIDC will handle decisions regarding the exact location of land allocated to original owners.
