Purandar airport takes off after Centre’s all-clear

The central government appointed steering committee for the Greenfield airport has cleared last hurdle for the project by giving the final go ahead and site clearances for the proposed international airport in Purandar on Monday.

The go ahead was given during a meeting between the Maharashtra Airport Development Company Limited (MADC) officials and the steering committee in New Delhi.

CS Gupta, executive director, MADC, said, “We gave a detailed presentation to the steering committee on Monday covering all the aspects and reports related to the Purandar international airport. After the presentation, the committee finally approved the project by giving the necessary clearance.” 

Gupta said, “This go ahead from the central government will be followed by the formal letter of approval which the MADC is likely to receive very soon.” 

The steering committee for the Greenfield airport is a committee formed by the Union government under the ministry of civil aviation. The committee has representatives from all the ministries of the central government that are involved in giving clearances to the project. 

Expressing gratitude towards the central government, Anil Shirole, Pune member of Parliament (MP), said, “This is a step forward to making the Purandar airport a reality. It also highlights the fact that we have walked the talk by keeping the promise which we had made during the elections in 2014.” 

The international airport in Purandar will bring prosperity to the entire region, added Shirole. 

“Now that we have all the clearances, once the final detailed project report is out, the ground work for the airport can begin” added Gupta. 

Although the airport has received all the clearances, the villagers of around seven villages who will lose their land in the process have consistently opposed the project. 

Ever since the announcement of the airport project by Devendra Fadnavis, chief minister of Maharashtra, the farmers have staged multiple protests, agitating in front of the tehsil office, district collectorate and organising ‘rasta roko’ protests. 

The farmers have also decided that the land will not be given for the airport and the agitation against the government will be intensified with a ‘jail bharo’ agitation. The farmers had earlier threatened to resort to euthanasia and will petition the President of India in connection with their demand.