The Pune district administration has extended the deadline for landowners to submit the consent agreements for the proposed Chhatrapati Sambhaji Raje International Airport in Purandar from June 30 to July 15.
District Collector Jitendra Dudi said the extension was granted after the requests from farmers, many of whom are facing pending inheritance and ownership-related disputes that is delaying the completion of the consent process.
The airport project requires the acquisition of 1,216 hectares of land across seven villages in Purandar taluka. Of this, around 1,010 hectares has already been acquired by the administration.
The state government has fixed the compensation at ₹1.61 crore per acre, and nearly ₹1,150 crore has already been disbursed to the eligible landowners. To speed up the remaining payments, the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) has released an additional ₹1,000 crore to the district administration.
Officials said compensation was initially distributed to original landowners. However the investors who are holding acquired land will now also be prioritised to ensure a faster completion of the compensation process.
Apart from the monetary compensation, eligible landowners will receive developed plots which will be equivalent to 10% of the acquired land, as provided under the MIDC rehabilitation policy.
The district administration expects the extended deadline to help more landowners complete the required formalities and benefit from both the compensation package and rehabilitation scheme.
The proposed Purandar airport is a major infrastructure project for the Pune region and is expected to natably improve air connectivity and support future economic growth.