Pune: In a major update in the proposed greenfield Pune International Airport at Purandar, the Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde has directed the authorities to start the procedure of land acquisition. The notification for the land acquisition will be issues soon, reports say. This is a big announcement by the government ahead of Maharashtra assembly elections.

The dedicated international airport at Pune is need of the hour and the new airport at Purandar will not will be a game changer for Pune, but for the entire region and its industrial growth. Notably, the proposed airport site near from the upcoming Pune Outer Ring Road (ORR) making connectivity easier for passengers.

The state government will work in coordination with the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) to expedite the land acquisition process. As per a News18 report, “The Purandar Airport project is crucial for the overall development of the state, especially for Punekars,” the state industries minister Uday Samant said.

The minister also mentioned that the process will pick up pace in the coming days. “In the next three to four days, minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol and I will hold a detailed meeting on the land acquisition. Within the next eight days, we will finalise a model for the project and subsequently begin the acquisition,” Samant added.

The airport at Pune's Purandar is in the pipeline for several years now. Considering Pune's rising population and growing as IT and manufacturing over the decade, the international airport is a crucial project for the city and Maharashtra overall.

MP from Pune and state civil aviation minister Murlidhar Mohol soon after taking charge of the position in June announced that the ministry of defence (MoD) and the Directorate General of Civic Aviation (DGCA) have approved the proposed airport at the original site in Purandar, clearing all technical hurdles for the project.

The clearance of technical hurdles paved way for the proposed airport project in Pune coming into reality.