Purandar Airport land donors to get plots in planned ‘AeroCity’

Around 700 acres have been earmarked near the airport site for this purpose, the district administration said

In a major push for the long-delayed Purandar international airport project, the Pune district administration has announced that farmers who voluntarily give up their land will be allotted developed plots equivalent to 10% of their total surrendered land. These plots will be located in a planned ‘AeroCity’ near the proposed airport and distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.

The revised compensation package was finalised at a high-level meeting held in Mumbai last week. (HT)

Around 700 acres have been earmarked near the airport site for this purpose, the district administration said.

The revised compensation package was finalised at a high-level meeting held in Mumbai last week. Under the new framework, farmers who consent to the land acquisition will receive four times the market value of their land, in addition to 10% of their original land area returned as developed plots. Officials said this dual-benefit formula is expected to fast-track progress on the stalled project.

The land acquisition will be carried out under the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) Act, 2019. As per its provisions, only those who voluntarily part with land will be eligible for the 10% land return benefit. Farmers who do not give consent will receive only monetary compensation—four times the market rate—thereby incentivising early agreement.

The administration will soon begin issuing notices to landowners outlining the terms and inviting them to submit their consent.

“Starting next week, farmers can submit their approvals either at the Pune Collector’s office or at the Saswad office of the Purandar Sub-Divisional Officer. The process will follow the ‘first come, first served’ principle, with early applicants getting preference for more strategically located plots in the AeroCity,” said Pune District Collector Jitendra Dudi.

He added that the AeroCity will be developed around the airport’s core operational zone and will include commercial and residential infrastructure to support the airport ecosystem. The 10% developed plots offered to farmers will be located within this area.

The airport will require land from seven villages in Purandar taluka, Vanpuri, Udachiwadi, Kumbharvalan, Ekhatpur, Munjwadi, Khanwadi, and Pargaon. A total of 2,673 hectares is to be acquired for the project. While about 1,500 hectares is needed for the core airport facilities, the rest is intended for ancillary development and rehabilitation.

Of this, 267 hectares—roughly 667.5 acres—will be reserved for the distribution of developed plots to affected farmers.

Earlier, the administration had issued acquisition notices to affected landowners. In response, 2,163 objections were submitted by 2,451 individual owners. These were reviewed during a month-long hearing. Of the total 13,300 landowners across 3,266 land parcels, 10,849 did not object, indicating that over 82% are supportive of the acquisition, according to official data. Only 18% have raised objections.