Land acquisition for the proposed Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje International Airport in Purandar will become compulsory for the remaining 40 hectares where landowners have not given consent, Pune Collector Jitendra Dudi has said. The affected landowners will also not receive the 10% developed-plot benefit available under the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation’s land-acquisition framework, according to the report.
The district administration is expected to take possession of the 40 hectares in the coming days. The land is located in Pargaon, one of seven villages included in the airport project. The other villages are Kumbharvalan, Vanpuri, Ekhaturpur, Munjwadi, Khanwadi and Udachiwadi.
The project requires the acquisition of 1,216 hectares, or about 3,000 acres, across the seven villages. The Maharashtra government has announced compensation of Rs 1.61 crore per acre. Separate compensation is also being provided for trees, wells and structures located on the acquired land.
The administration has said that 97% of farmers have agreed to give their land and that 76% of the total land has come under its possession after compensation was distributed. The report also states that 96% of farmers across the seven villages had consented, indicating that the remaining opposition is concentrated in a small portion of the project area.
About Rs 4,000 crore in compensation has so far been deposited into farmers’ bank accounts for the acquisition, according to the district administration. Officials had urged the remaining landowners to provide consent so they could receive the full compensation package. The Pargaon farmers, however, continued to oppose the acquisition and did not provide consent.
The compulsory acquisition decision changes the immediate process for the final portion of land needed for the airport. It also removes the developed-plot concession for those landowners under the applicable MIDC land-acquisition provisions, according to the collector’s statement as reported by Sakal.
The report further states that the Bombay High Court has dismissed a petition filed by farmers opposing the project. The district administration’s next step is to take possession of the remaining 40 hectares, while compensation and the treatment of affected landowners remain central to the implementation of the acquisition process.
