The Maharashtra government has approved the first phase of a Rs65-crore upgrade at Baramati airstrip, nearly nine months after a plane crash there claimed the lives of former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and four others. The work will focus on runway safety, emergency response and core airport infrastructure.
The approval, announced on Thursday, marks the first step towards implementing a wider package of improvements proposed after the January 28 crash brought safety infrastructure at the airstrip under scrutiny. The state government had subsequently announced upgrades, including facilities to support night landings, in its budget.
The first-phase work will be undertaken by Maharashtra Airport Development Company Ltd (MADC). It will include resurfacing the runway, developing runway safety areas, grading the ground and constructing a boundary wall around the facility.
The project will also add an air traffic control tower and a prefabricated technical block. A fire station, emergency room and CCTV surveillance network are included in the approved scope, according to the report.
The combination of runway resurfacing, safety areas, air traffic control infrastructure and emergency facilities indicates that the approval covers both the airstrip’s operating environment and its response capacity. The project details released so far do not specify the length of the runway section to be resurfaced, the planned completion date or the proposed specifications for night-landing operations.
MADC vice-chairman and managing director Deepak Kapoor said the company would float tenders on Friday to appoint a consultant to expedite the project. The consultant appointment is expected to begin the next stage of project preparation, including the process of taking the approved works forward.
Baramati airstrip’s upgrade is being pursued as a state-backed infrastructure project through MADC. Further implementation details, including the tender timeline, construction schedule and operational arrangements during the works, will become clearer as the consultancy and subsequent procurement processes advance.
