Airport expansion land acquisition notification by end of November

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Following the issuance of a preliminary land acquisition notification by the district administration in January 2025 for the expansion of the runway at Chikalthana International Airport, the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC) has decided to exclude 1.5 acres from the 139-acre acquisition plan and include an additional 0.16 acres(16R) of land. The final notification under Section 19 of the Land Acquisition Act is expected to be issued by the end of November. Once that happens, the acquisition process must be completed within a year. The total cost of the project is expected to exceed Rs 500 crore.

After a meeting in July, the company sent a letter to the district collector in August, requesting that 1.5 acres of land from Gat No. 748 in Chikalthana be excluded and an additional 0.16 acres be included from Gat Nos. 35 (Murtizapur) and 13, 15, 16 (Mukundwadi). This adjustment delayed the process by about two months. Since January 2021, the issue of airport expansion has been under discussion between the district administration, the airport company, the land acquisition committee, and the airport director. The proposal was first sent to the Airport Authority in November 2021, and a widening committee was formed in May 2022. It was decided to evaluate affected properties across 147 acres in Chikalthana, Mukundwadi, and Murtizapur. Budgetary provisions for land acquisition were made in the state budget of March 2023. Elections were held in 2024, and the first notification was finally issued in early 2025.

Runway to be extended by 825 meters

The runway expansion and the new taxiway will require significant land. Currently, the airport’s runway measures 9,300 feet (2,835 meters). The proposal aims to extend it to 12,000 feet, requiring land acquisition for an additional 2,700 feet or about 825 meters of new runway length.

Land acquisition must be completed within one year

“The measurement process, including the exclusion of certain land parcels, has been completed. The final notification under Section 19 will be issued by the end of this month, after which the acquisition must be completed within one year,” said Venkata Rathod, sub-divisional officer.