The Rs 7,000-crore second international airport project for Pune is further delayed, as Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) – the lead project developer – has decided to explore a new project site.

Following sustained agitation from locals over land acquisition, the MADC has decided to abandon the current site at Rajguru Nagar, Chakan near Pune city.

Senior company officials said that other sites are being explored for the project around Chakan.

“Given the scale of rapid development happening around Chakan, getting large parcels of free holding and contiguous land will prove to be an uphill task,” officials said.

Pune, over the last 20 years, has emerged as the second financial capital of Maharashtra. It has a large industrial and IT base with companies such as Bharat Forge, TATA Motors and Bajaj Auto having their manufacturing units and offices located in and around the city.

New airport essential

However, there is no independent civilian airport for the city. The Lohegaon airport is managed by the Indian Air Force and has a small civil area managed by Airports Authority of India. The passenger traffic at present is about 2.2 million per annum and growing by about 7 per cent annum, “The airport cannot accommodate more civilian traffic nor the Air Force can be asked to vacate. Therefore a new airport is very essential for the growth of the city,” officials said.

The Government of Maharashtra took the decision in 2005 to set up the airport at Rajguru Nagar, which is 35 km away from Pune city. MADC was chosen as the lead developer and 3,300 hectares of land was to be acquired from eight villages. But it had to face prolong agitation from the locals, which was primarily led by Peasants and Workers Party.

Chief of Peasants and Workers Party, Mr N.D. Patil, told Business Line that the agitation was led by his party, as MADC was keen on acquiring fertile land, giving good income to farmers of the eight villages. The farmers have take debts on them but MADC was not willing to settle those debts, he said.

“We had told MADC that if they are locating the airport 35 km away from city, they could even go a little further, as air passenger can easily afford a car for reaching the airport. They could have located the project further away from the city,” Mr Patil said.

rahulw@thehindu.co.in

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