Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had declared a fortnight ago that the new international airport at Chakan was on track. On Wednesday, the technical committee of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) formally submitted a report to the state government with the proposal. They are expecting to get an approval in the upcoming Assembly session.
The suitable land at Chakan has been finalised after conducting surveys of four other sites. Initally, Chakan, Kendur, Purandar, Khed SEZ and Koye Pait areas were shortlisted for the proposed airport. The new airport will require 1,200 hectares of land. "The proposed international airport was getting delayed due to land issues. Considering the runway of the airport, we require land that is a minimum of 6 km long, with a width of 2 km. The runway of Lohegaon airport is in the east-west direction. So, the new airport's runway will also be in the same direction. Now, the land has been selected considering all these requirements. Legal formalities will be fulfilled while acquiring the land," shared district collector Saurav Rao.
The international airport had been proposed to counter restrictions on civilian traffic at the city's Lohegaon airport, which belongs to the Indian Air Force (IAF) base. The proposal has been pending for more than a decade. The first site had been finalised near Chakan. But, it was found that the land was interfering with the IAF operations. Then, land near Rajgurunagar was spotted, but local farmers opposed the project as it was jeopardising agricultural land. The third site at Khed required Bharat Forge to part with its SEZ land.
03/03/16 Pune Mirror
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The suitable land at Chakan has been finalised after conducting surveys of four other sites. Initally, Chakan, Kendur, Purandar, Khed SEZ and Koye Pait areas were shortlisted for the proposed airport. The new airport will require 1,200 hectares of land. "The proposed international airport was getting delayed due to land issues. Considering the runway of the airport, we require land that is a minimum of 6 km long, with a width of 2 km. The runway of Lohegaon airport is in the east-west direction. So, the new airport's runway will also be in the same direction. Now, the land has been selected considering all these requirements. Legal formalities will be fulfilled while acquiring the land," shared district collector Saurav Rao.
The international airport had been proposed to counter restrictions on civilian traffic at the city's Lohegaon airport, which belongs to the Indian Air Force (IAF) base. The proposal has been pending for more than a decade. The first site had been finalised near Chakan. But, it was found that the land was interfering with the IAF operations. Then, land near Rajgurunagar was spotted, but local farmers opposed the project as it was jeopardising agricultural land. The third site at Khed required Bharat Forge to part with its SEZ land.
03/03/16 Pune Mirror
