Pune: Construction work on the Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje International Airport at Purandar will start in December, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis told TOI on Monday, adding that Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC), the state agency tasked with implementing the greenfield project, is on track with the tendering process.“MADC will float the tenders shortly. The Dec timeline will be maintained,” Fadnavis said via text message to a TOI query. He said preparatory work will continue alongside the land acquisition process.State officials said over 90% of Purandar’s farmers had agreed to purchase terms. Deadline for their consent was extended by the district administration to Aug 16, to let more landowners participate in the process. The airport project is looking to acquire 1,217 hectares of private land across seven villages of Purandar taluka — Khanwadi, Kumbharvalan, Ekhatpur, Pargaon Memane, Vanpuri, Munjewadi and Udachiwadi. As on Aug 2, compensation had been disbursed for 630 hectares, or 52%, officials said.Land acquisition has been one of the key hurdles for the airport project, which is expected to improve air connectivity to Pune and the city’s cargo-handling capacity.
