Pune: The disbursement of compensation against land for the upcoming Purandar international airport is likely to begin in December. Pune collector Jitendra Dudi, IAS, said that as the model code of conduct was in force for the council and nagar panchayat elections, the disbursement process would start after securing mandatory clearance from the State Election Commissioner.
Dudi told TOI, “If required, we will take the necessary permissions so that compensation distribution is not delayed." He added that the compensation package would be based on the state notification issued on March 17, 2025, under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
Farmers have been offered Rs 1 crore per acre of land, double compensation for all on-site assets, including cattle sheds, wells, borewells, pipelines and fruit-bearing trees, 10% developed land, and houses.
An MIDC officer said the corporation was in the process of onboarding credit institutions to finance the payouts, adding that while some funds would be sought from these, the MIDC would allocate the rest. Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) would make a financial provision of around Rs 4,500 crore for land acquisition.
“A SPV (special purpose vehicle) would be started simultaneously to start the request for proposal (RFP) and request for quotation (RFQ) process to onboard the developer for the greenfield airport on a design-build-operate model,” an official told TOI.
He added that the synchronous process will help avoid cost overruns as it will reduce the time gap between the land acquisition and the developer selection. The greenfield airport requires 1,285 hectares of land in Kumbharvalan, Munjawadi, Pargaon, Udachiwadi, Vanpuri, Ekhatpur, and Khanwadi villages in Purandar.
The land measurement survey has been completed, and over 95 per cent of landowners have given their consent to land acquisition for the Purandar International Airport. Dudi held discussions with farmers' representatives from all seven villages after receiving consent from most landowners.
Some farmers' groups argued that the current compensation of Rs 1 crore per acre did not reflect the current market value and demanded it be increased from four times to five times the ready reckoner rate.
Citing Supreme Court rulings on land acquisition, villagers said that compensation must reflect the highest market value and developed plots must be allotted with full ownership rights, upon which Dudi said the administration would ensure fairness within the legal framework.
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