Purandar Airport land acquisition to begin under ‘pass through method’
Maharashtra approves land acquisition for Purandar Airport under 'pass through method,' acquiring 2,823 hectares from seven villages, ensuring fair compensation.
State industrial minister Uday Samant recently held a high-power committee meeting regarding land acquisition for the Purandar Airport, and gave approval for beginning the land acquisition process under ‘pass through method’ which is similar to the land acquisition process for the Samruddhi Mahamarg. Under this process, land will be acquired at five times the ready reckoner rates.
As per the notification issued by the industries, energy, labour and mining department of the Government of Maharashtra on March 10, 2025, signed by S L Pulkundwar, joint secretary to the government, a total 2,753.053 hectares of land from a total 3,352 land survey numbers in seven villages of Purandar taluka has been declared an ‘industrial area’ with immediate effect. Whereas an additional 70 hectares of land will be acquired from the state forest department, taking the total to 2,823 hectares of land to be acquired for Purandar Airport.
Samant said, “Recently, we held a meeting of the high-power committee regarding land acquisition for Purandar Airport. Accordingly, we are going to carry out the Purandar Airport land acquisition process by ‘pass through method’. We have fulfilled the demand and started work on Purandar Airport, which was pending for the last many years. Through the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), we will be carrying out the land acquisition work and soon, actual work will start. We have given approval to this work under our ministry’s high-power committee.”
“We will be taking all the villages in confidence during this entire land acquisition process, we will ensure that each and every farmer gets a good amount of money in return for their land. In fact, our chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and both deputy chief ministers have given instructions for it. There is no deadline as such set for the land acquisition as it depends upon the farmers and how they support us but the actual work of land acquisition will start now,” Samant said.
There are two different notifications in one order issued by the department. The first notification states: “In exercise of the powers conferred by subsection (3) of section 1 of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Act 1961 (Mah III of 1962), the Government of Maharashtra hereby appoints March 7, 2025 to be the date from which the provisions of Chapter VI of the said Act will take effect in certain areas of villages Vanpuri, Kumbharvalan, Udhachaiwadi, Ekhatpur, Munjavadi, Khanavdi and Pargaon in Purandar taluka of Pune district mentioned in the schedule appended hereto and declares the said area to be an industrial area under clause (g) of section 2 of the said Act, for the purposes of the said Act.”
“The said area is more clearly defined in red in the map deposited in the offices of the chief executive officer, MIDC, Andheri (East), Mumbai 400 093 and the subdivisional officer, Purandar, Pune district and is bounded by the area as indicated in the said schedule,” the first notification states.
Whereas the second notification states: “In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (g) of section 2 of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Act 1961 (Mah III of 1962), the Government of Maharashtra hereby declares the areas mentioned in the schedule villages Vanpuri, Kumbharvalan, Udhachaiwadi, Ekhatpur, Munjavdi, Khanavdi and Pargaon in Purandar taluka of Pune district appended hereto to be an industrial area for the purposes of the said Act.”
A total 2,823 hectares of land is required for Purandar Airport. The airport was announced in October 2016, and it was decided to acquire land from the same seven villages in Purandar taluka. However, there was opposition to this from the beginning. Later, under the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, the location of the airport was changed. After the Mahayuti government returned to power, it was confirmed that the airport will be built at the original location, with a plan to complete it in the next five years. As a result, everyone was eagerly waiting to know when the land acquisition for Purandar Airport would begin.
Deputy chief minister and finance minister Ajit Pawar, in the recently presented budget, did not allocate any funds for land acquisition for the Purandar Airport, which raised concerns. However, on the day the budget was presented, a notification was issued, indicating that the government is fully prepared for the construction of an airport in Purandar.
