The state government has finalised a new location for the purpose and the process for developing the airport has started.
Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said on Monday that although an international airport is being developed near Navi Mumbai, Pune too needs its own international airport. The state government has finalised a new location for the purpose and the process for developing the airport has started.
Pawar was speaking to the media after a series of meetings in the Council Hall. He said that he had a meeting with chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Saturday about the proposed international airport for Pune. He said that the earlier location selected for the international airport was strongly opposed by local people. Hence, the state government has zeroed in on a new location which would be ‘less opposed.’
Pawar refused to disclose the new location for the Pune International Airport as he said that opposition starts immediately once such announcements are made. He announced that the chief minister has assured that there would not be paucity of funds for the new international airport.
Pawar said that the present airport at Lohegaon is under the control of the Air Force. There are many restrictions on take off and landing of civilian aircrafts. There should not be such restrictions on the airport of a rapidly growing city like Pune. “It is necessary to have an international airport for Pune and it has to be developed,” he said.
He said that the proposed international airport for Pune would be also be convenient for citizens in surrounding districts of Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur, Solapur, Ahmednagar and Beed.
There is a long pending proposal to develop an international airport at Chakan-Rajgurunagar industrial belt near the city. But this airport has not been developed due to opposition by locals for land acquisition.
According to Maharashtra Airport Development Company Ltd (MADC), the government of Maharashtra had taken a decision to develop a new Green Field Airport near Rajgurunagar about 35km north-west of Pune. MADC was acquiring about 8000 acres of land from various villages at a cost of about Rs1,200 crore.
This airport was proposed to be developed as a full-fledged international airport over a period of 30 years and is estimated to receive around 20 million passengers per year.
The estimated cost of this airport, including land acquisition and commercial development, was to the tune of Rs7,000 crore.
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