The Maharashtra government has approved the first phase of a Rs65-crore Baramati airstrip upgrade, nearly nine months after a plane crash at the facility killed former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and four others. The work is intended to strengthen runway safety and airport infrastructure at the airstrip in Pune district.
The approval was reported on Thursday, marking the first formal step towards implementing improvements announced after the January 28 crash brought the airstrip’s safety arrangements under scrutiny. The state had subsequently included a series of proposed upgrades, including facilities for night landings, in its budget.
The first phase will be undertaken by the Maharashtra Airport Development Company Ltd (MADC). The planned works include resurfacing the runway, developing runway safety areas, grading the ground and constructing a boundary wall around the facility.
The project also includes an air traffic control tower and a prefabricated technical block. Additional safety and emergency-response infrastructure will comprise a fire station, an emergency room and a CCTV surveillance network, according to the report.
The planned works cover several layers of airstrip operations, from the condition and safety margins of the runway to air traffic control, emergency response and perimeter monitoring. The approval therefore moves the proposed improvements from budgetary announcement to the initial implementation stage.
MADC vice-chairman and managing director Deepak Kapoor said the company would float tenders on Friday to appoint a consultant for the project. The consultant is expected to help expedite the upgrade process, although the supplied report does not specify the tender value, construction schedule or completion deadline.
The January crash had focused attention on the operational infrastructure at Baramati airstrip. The latest approval identifies runway resurfacing, runway safety areas, air traffic control, emergency facilities and surveillance as the initial priorities. The report does not provide details of the crash investigation or specify whether the planned works are linked to any particular finding.
The next immediate milestone is the tender process for appointing the consultant. Further implementation timelines, including the dates for awarding construction contracts and completing the safety upgrades, were not stated in the announcement reported by Punekar News.
