Purandar Airport land acquisition: Will fight till the last breath against forces uprooting us, say Purandar villagers

Indian Express

04-05-2025

UNDER THE blistering May sun, Sanjay Kamthe moves through his lush-green custard apple orchard in Purandar's Kumbharvalan, wiping sweat from his brow as he looks at the land his family has farmed on for generations. At 45, Sanjay who is retired from Corps of Engineers of the Indian Army is getting ready for a different kind of battle. 'What will we do with the money if we're uprooted from our land? Our family has worked this land for generations. Taking it away is like taking away our purpose.' he says with disappointment and frustration in his voice.
Sanjay's farm lies next to that of 87-year-old Anjanabai Kamthe, who died of a suspected cardiac arrest at her home in Kumbharvalan on Saturday afternoon. Her death occurred around the same time that hundreds of villagers from seven villages in Purandar taluka had gathered in Kumbhar Valan to protest a drone survey being conducted for the proposed Purandar International Airport project. The timing of Anjanabai's death turned it into a flashpoint, escalating tensions and triggering violence. Stone pelting by villagers left around two dozen police personnel injured, prompting the police to use tear gas canisters and lathicharge the crowd. Several villagers were also hurt, including some in an incident involving a bullock cart used to block the path of government vehicles.
The Purandar International airport project requires the acquisition of 2,832 hectares of land, which is spread across seven villages of Purandar taluka namely Pargaon Memane, Munjawadi, Khanavadi, Udachiwadi, Vanpuri, Ekhatpur, and Kumbharvalan. Anjanabai's son Sadashiv Kamthe says, 'My mother was under a lot of stress since the discussion of the land survey and acquisition for the airport started again two months ago. The thought of parting with the land she and our family had nurtured, was eating her from inside. It was this emotional burden that led to her death.'
Another Kumbharvalan resident Devidas Kamthe said, 'The land here has always been fertile. Since the key irrigation project that came up in late 1990s, the area has become horticulture and cash crop dominant. All of us have Sitaphal (custard apple), guava, fig, mango and chikoo trees that are now 15 to 20 years old and give the best quality fruits. Of over 2800 hectares of land that is proposed to be acquired, approximately 40 percent is under horticulture, and the remaining area produces sugarcane, onion, vegetables and grains. Which government in its right mind will acquire such land? We will fight to the last breath against the forces that are uprooting us.'
Jyoti Memane, the Sarpanch of Pargaon Memane village said, 'An alternate tract of land has been suggested by villagers to the administration. This alternate site is more than 15 kilometers ahead of the presently proposed site. The majority of alternate sites are barren land and with very little settlement. Why can't the government opt for that land instead of taking our fertile land and throwing us out of our house. Even if the government gives us four times the market price as settlement, it can not match the value this land has for our present and our future.'
KD More, a resident of Kumbharvalan says, 'Over 2000 villagers from seven villages had staged a protest at Pune District Collector office recently. Many letters have been written to the government, elected representatives, and district administration. They are still going ahead with the drone survey and land acquisition. Which means these means of protest are not working. We have now decided to take legal avenue and have decided to move the Bombay High Court in this regard.'
BG Kolse Patil, Retired High Court Judge, who has backed the villagers' fight against the land acquisition said, 'It is very important that villagers put up a united fight against this unjust acquisition. I absolutely don't see any logic behind the government acquiring this fertile and well irrigated land and displacing so many people, when an alternate land has been suggested. The group of villagers are meeting a senior lawyer of the Bombay High Court to work on the petition they will be filing.'