Work on the proposed international greenfield airport in Pune is all set to begin with the Maharashtra government asking the Pune district administration to expedite the land acquisition process. Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar has said that this will be a high priority project and the government is keen on fast-tracking the project despite financial challenges the state is facing because of the ongoing pandemic.
Saurabh Rao, Pune divisional commissioner, said a total of 2,832 hectare land has to be acquired in seven villages in Purandar taluka of Pune district for the airport. A meeting will be held on Friday with the deputy CM to take a final call regarding the compensation formula for the land acquisition.
According to Rao, the government will need Rs 6,000 crore for acquiring the land and it is exploring various options for this. Initial attempts to acquire land here had met with stiff protest and the administration had not been able to make any headway.
Apart from outright payments, they are considering if land owners could be compensated through allottment of alternate land, developed property or a mix of all these options, Rao said. If a decision is taken in the Friday’s meeting on the compensation modalities, it will be sent to the state government’s high-powered committee for final approval, Rao said. (Source : financialexpress.com)
