23-04-2025
Purandar airport project: Three officers appointed for land acquisition
PUNE: The state government has finally approved the proposal sent by the Pune district administration regarding appointment of land acquisition officers for the Purandar Airport project. Accordingly, orders appointing three land acquisition officers have been published in the government gazette on Tuesday. Out of the three officers, two have been tasked with land acquisition in three villages each whereas one officer will oversee land acquisition in a single village.
The gazette notification was released Tuesday by the state's department of industries, energy, labour and mining and the government has approved the proposal for appointment of land acquisition officer number 1, land acquisition officer number 3, and sub-divisional officer of Purandar taluka.
A total 2,673.982 hectares of land needs to be acquired for the Purandar Airport project. This land falls within seven villages of the taluka including Vanpuri, Udachiwadi, Kumbharvalan, Ekhatpur, Munjawadi, Khanwadi and Pargaon. The responsibility for land acquisition in Vanpuri, Kumbharvalan and Udachiwadi has been assigned to Kalyan Pandhare, land acquisition officer number 1. The acquisition process in Ekhatpur, Munjawadi and Khanwadi will be overseen by Varsha Landge, sub-divisional officer of Purandar taluka. While the responsibility for Pargaon has been assigned to Sangeeta Chougule, land acquisition officer number 3.
'On behalf of the state government, orders have been issued to carry out the land acquisition process with the consent of the landowners. However, if consent is not given, the law provides for compulsory acquisition,' said Kalyan Pandhare, land acquisition officer.
With officers now designated for each village, the decks have been cleared for land acquisition. Proceedings will be conducted under the Land Acquisition Act 2013. Prior to acquisition, action will be taken under section 32 (2) of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Act. This involves issuing notices via the government gazette to any individual who may have a stake or interest in the concerned lands, asking them why the land should not be acquired. Following this, joint land measurement and drone surveys will be conducted. District collector Jitendra Dudi has appealed to farmers and landowners to cooperate with the land acquisition process.
After actions under section 32 (2), joint measurement activities will begin. Notices regarding this measurement will be issued to the residents of the seven villages in advance. The drone survey will then determine whether the lands are agricultural; irrigated; or contain trees, wells, buildings, or houses. This information will help determine the compensation rates for the land.
The Pune district administration has already stated that landowners and farmers will be recommended for four times the market value as compensation, along with additional benefits. Meanwhile, farmers in the seven villages are eager to know how compensation rates will be determined.
