Lohgaon – Pune Airport Road to Shut, New Route Planned: PMC Clears Rs 30.84 Crore Proposal
Lohgaon, 16th July 2026: The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has approved a proposal to allocate approximately ₹30.84 crore for the acquisition of land required to develop a 30-metre-wide alternate access road to the Lohgaon Airport. The proposal, cleared by the Standing Committee, will now be placed before the General Body for final approval.
Standing Committee Chairman Shrinath Bhimale said the proposal involves acquiring around 14,629.76 square metres of land under the provisions of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. Based on the 2026-27 ready reckoner rates, the estimated land acquisition cost stands at ₹30.84 crore, although the final compensation will be determined by the Special Land Acquisition Officer.
The alternate road has become necessary as the Indian Air Force is undertaking the expansion and modernisation of Lohgaon Airport. As part of the project, the existing 12-metre-wide access road passing through the defence establishment will be closed, requiring a new route to ensure uninterrupted connectivity to the airport.
At present, vehicles access the airport through the road connecting 509 Chowk to the airport gate via defence land. Since this route will no longer remain operational after the airport expansion, the PMC has planned a 30-metre-wide alternate road to accommodate future traffic requirements.
The proposal noted that the PMC General Body had approved the alignment of the new road on February 18, 2020. Subsequently, the Maharashtra government granted final approval by making the necessary modifications to the Development Plan under Section 37 of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act.
The move follows directions issued during a meeting chaired by the then Deputy Chief Minister and Guardian Minister Ajit Pawar on February 8, 2020, where officials were instructed to expedite the proposal for an alternate airport access road to improve traffic management around Lohgaon Airport.
Before initiating compulsory acquisition, the PMC had appealed to affected landowners to voluntarily surrender land in exchange for Transferable Development Rights (TDR) and other compensation options. However, the response was inadequate, prompting the civic body to proceed with acquisition under the 2013 land acquisition law.
According to the Total Station Survey conducted by the PMC’s Road Department, land from Survey Nos. 226, 236, 237, 238, and 239 in Lohgaon will be acquired for the project.
The civic administration has now sought the General Body’s approval to initiate land acquisition proceedings under Section 126 of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, 1966, by forwarding the proposal to the District Collector and the Land Acquisition Department.
The expenditure for the acquisition will be met from the PMC Road Department’s budget.
