Land acquisition process to expand airport runway begins

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

The expansion of the Chikalthana Airport in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (erstwhile Aurangabad) has been underway for the past several months. The land acquisition section of the District Collector’s office has completed the phase of inviting and reviewing public objections regarding the land to be acquired. Now, the process of evaluating the properties on this land is set to begin within the next 8–10 days.

Runway extension requires 147 acres of land

The current length of the runway at the airport is 9,300 feet. However, for larger aircraft to land and take off, a minimum runway length of 12,000 feet is required. To facilitate this extension, 147 acres of land will be acquired from the villages of Chikalthana, Murtizapur, and Mukundwadi.

In the first phase, Rs 66.78 crore has already been sanctioned for land acquisition, and an additional Rs 152 crore has been approved. Sub-Divisional Officer Venkat Rathod, who is also the Special Land Acquisition Officer for this project, issued the preliminary notification under Section 11(1) on January 8 for 58 hectares. Hearings on objections received have been completed, and decisions on these objections are expected within a month, he said.

Assessment of affected properties

Several residential and agricultural properties will be affected by the expansion. These include permanent and temporary houses, huts, trees, and wells. The valuation of these properties will be carried out by the Public Works Department (PWD), the Agriculture Department, and the Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP).

Revenue Department stepping in for manpower

Initially, manpower for the valuation process was expected from the Airport Authority of India. However, since no personnel were provided, the Revenue Department has stepped in. A team comprising Talathis and Circle Officers has been appointed for the task, according to official sources. During preliminary checks, several irregularities have come to light, such as property transactions recorded only on bond paper, names of previous owners still appearing on land records (7/12 extracts), discrepancies in actual landholding, and situations where ownership and possession rights are held by different individuals.