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Rajnath, Scindia assure full support to Pune delegation for Lohegaon, Purandar airports
During the meeting, Rajnath Singh assured the delegation that a separate meeting will soon be called on the existing Lohegaon airport and the proposed new one at Purandar, says former mayor Murlidhar Mohol
A delegation of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders held a meeting with union minister for defence Rajnath Singh and civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia to discuss various issues related to the Pune airport and its expansion and also about the proposed new civilian airport for the Pune region at Purandar.
During the meeting, Rajnath Singh assured the delegation that a separate meeting will soon be called on the existing Lohegaon airport and the proposed new one at Purandar, said former mayor Murlidhar Mohol. “We had very good meetings with Rajnath Singh as well as Jyotiraditya Scindia. Singh assured us that he will soon call a separate meeting with authorities on the expansion of Lohegaon airport and the proposed new one at Purandar,” said Mohol, who was part of the meetings along with Rajya Sabha (RS) members Prakash Javadekar and Vinay Sahasrabuddhe; Shivajinagar legislator Siddharth Shirole; Pune BJP head Jagdish Mulik; and BJP Pune general secretary Rajesh Pande.
“A joint delegation met union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday to amplify the civic demand for an international airport in the city with assurance of all possible support for a world-class airport. Also, we conveyed to him as to how the Maharashtra state government’s indecision and political considerations have caused great harm to Punekars, needlessly delaying the new airport planned by the central government. The current airport also needs upgradation to save Punekars from an irresponsible state government,” said Sahasrabuddhe.
Pune city BJP head and former MLA Jagdish Mulik said, “In our discussion with the ministers today, three important points were raised by our delegation. The first was regarding extension of the Lohegaon airport runway and the overall upgradation of this airport. Also to start work on the proposed new airport at Purandar by clearing all necessary pending permissions and most importantly to name the existing Lohegaon airport after sant Tukaram Maharaj. The discussions were positive and he has assured us to immediately take a high-level meeting with the concerned officials in this regard.”
Mohol said, “Our main objective and point of discussion with the minister was the Purandar airport extension plans and upgradation of the existing Lohegaon airport. Today, Pune is one of the main cities in the country. There are industries, IT companies, educational institutes, farm produced agricultural goods and several other sectors which need to have good connectivity to the rest of the world. And for that, a better quality international airport is needed for Pune which is our demand.”
The delegation handed over a formal document on behalf of Punekars containing all details, constraints and possible solutions for the expansion of the current airport at Lohegaon.
The earlier BJP government helmed by then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had initially identified land for the airport at Purandar with the defence and civil aviation ministry also giving approvals. However, the Uddhav Thackeray government changed the site to a nearby location for which the defence ministry has revoked permission.
The delegation raised the issue of speedy approvals. The delegation also demanded to speed up the ongoing work of the Pune airport located at Lohegaon and name it after sant Tukaram Maharaj. The Lohegaon airport is controlled by the defence ministry while civilian flights are allowed in given slots. The airport authorities have initiated the process to acquire an additional 13 acre of land for the expansion of the airport. Once the land is acquired, the cargo facility will receive a major boost while flights will get more space for parking.
