Pune: Gram Panchayats Of 7 Villages Oppose New Airport Plan, Citizens Protest With Black Flags And Resolution To Boycott Elections

Pune, 12th October 2022: After the Shinde-Fadnavis government came to power, movements started regarding Pune’s proposed international airport at Purandar.

Due to this, restlessness has spread among some citizens in all the seven villages of Purandar where the project is proposed. The Gram Panchayats have decided to boycott voting in the upcoming Local Self-Government and other elections. They have also warned to approach the court against the project in due course.

About three thousand hectares of land have to be acquired for this airport. In it, the lands of seven villages – Pargaon, Memane, Khanwadi, Ekhatpur, Munjwadi, Kumbharvalan, Vanpuri and Udachiwadi – will be acquired.

After the Mahavikas Aghadi Government stepped down and the Shinde-Fadnavis government came to power, detailed reports and documents of the work done so far by the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (Maharashtra Airport Development Company – MADC) have been given to the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation – MIDC). Land acquisition will be done as per the MIDC Act. In this background, Gram Panchayats in these seven villages have taken an aggressive stance against the project.

Meanwhile, seven villages in Purand are being completely affected by the airport project. Therefore, the Gram Panchayat members of this village held a meeting on Monday and unanimously opposed the airport. Also, they have warned to go to court if there is time, and it was unanimously decided that black flags will be placed on the house during Diwali.

On this occasion, local MLA Sanjay Jagtap, Zilla Parishad members, officials, and local citizens were present. Jagtap has announced his opposition to the Purandar Airport, stating that he will stand with the locals.

“We are only hearing from the media that our land will be acquired in the proposed Purandar airport. We are not being noticed at the government level, and we are against giving land. We are ready to fight court proceedings to intensify this opposition in the future. For this year’s Diwali, a resolution has been proposed to protest by hoisting black flags on the houses, and it has been unanimously supported,” said Santosh Kumbharkar, Sarpanch, Udachiwadi Gram Panchayat.

“The government cannot coerce without the consent of the natives. It is strongly opposed if it is going to kick our livelihood. Even an inch of land will not be given to the government. While the proposal has been made at the Gram Panchayat level, the Purandar Airport Protest Committee will meet again after three days to take the next decision,” said Swapnali Hole, Sarpanch, Khanwadi Gram Panchayat.