Initiatives to acquire farmland for runway expansion intensify

Aurangabad, Oct 6:

In all, 182 acres land will be acquired for the runway expansion at Chikalthana Airport. Earlier, it was decided to acquire land of the 1200 residential properties but the initiatives to acquire farmland has intensified now. Correspondences in this regard have been done with the union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. A demand has been made in the letters that the farm lands should be acquired instead the residential properties.

The Maharashtra Airport Development Company Ltd had deposited Rs 3.51 lakh to the land records office for the measurement of the land to be acquired. The measurement was started from January, 2021. By June, the office measured around 250 properties.

Around 1200 properties (182 acres) were to be measured for the total land acquisition. The existing runway of 9,300 feet (2,836 meters) will be expanded to 12000 feet (3658 mts). The existing runway will be expanded by 825 meters.

The union minister of state for finance Dr Bhagwat Karad met the farmers on Wednesday morning. They are ready to give the farmland in the South direction. If the state government permits to acquire the farmland, several residential properties will be saved. Correspondence in this regard has been done with Scindia and Thackeray, the sources said.