Pune: Over 50% Land Acquisition Completed For Purandar Airport Project; Farmers Give Consent For 1,525 Acres

Pune: The land acquisition process for the proposed Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje International Airport in Purandar has crossed the 50 per cent mark, with farmers giving consent for nearly 1,525 acres of land.

The proposed airport project requires around 3,040 acres of land spread across seven villages in Purandar taluka. District Collector Jitendra Dudi said the acquisition process is progressing smoothly and that compensation is being transferred directly to farmers’ bank accounts.

According to the administration, compensation worth nearly ₹450 crore has already been deposited in the accounts of farmers over the last two weeks. Officials also said the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) has released an additional ₹500 crore from the state government for the acquisition process, while the remaining funds are expected soon.

Officials stated that farmers affected by the project are expected to receive a minimum compensation of ₹1.61 crore per acre. The amount may increase up to nearly ₹2 crore per acre depending on the presence of houses, orchards, fruit-bearing trees, borewells, pipelines and other structures on the land.

The administration has nearly completed issuing notices to farmers who submitted consent affidavits before the final agreements are signed. Notices are currently being distributed across all seven villages, and the remaining notices are expected to be issued within the next two days.

Meanwhile, officials also addressed concerns related to agricultural loans linked to acquired land. Many farmers reportedly have pending bank loans mentioned in their land records. To avoid delays in the compensation process, bank representatives are being present during agreement registrations.

The administration said compensation amounts linked to pending loans are being directly paid to banks through separate cheques. This is helping farmers get no-objection certificates (NOCs) immediately and complete the compensation process smoothly.

District Collector Jitendra Dudi appealed to farmers to share details of any existing loans with land acquisition officers so that payments and NOC procedures can be completed without delay.