Work on the proposed international airport in Pune is expected to take off in 2024 at the Purandar site. The Maharashtra state government expects to complete the land acquisition process this year, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said. He is hopeful of getting the new airport in three to four years.
Land acquisition challenges and opposition to the proposed airport by the local population had hampered the progress of the airport project. The site chosen for the airport at Purandar had received all the clearances from the defence ministry. This site was shifted by 20 km by the subsequent government, which was unfeasible. The new airport will now come up at the old site in Purandar, Fadnavis said.
Meanwhile, the existing airport in Pune has been expanded to cope with the rise in flights and passenger traffic from the city.
A new integrated Rs 475 crore terminal was inaugurated virtually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday. The new and bigger terminal almost doubles the airport’s passenger capacity to 12 million per year and allows 1,400 passengers per hour, with five additional baggage belts. The old terminal building will be renovated and upgraded to augment capacity.
Earlier speaking at the Viksit Bharat Conclave organised by the Pune Platform for Collaborative Response (PPCR), a volunteer group of business, industry and entrepreneurs, Fadnavis said the Maharashtra state government plans to spend $ 100 billion in the state’s infrastructure segment.
Fadnavis added that Maharashtra would be the first sub-national $2-trillion economy. “The goal is to make Maharashtra a $2-trillion economy by 2035, when the state celebrates its 75th anniversary. The first milestone is to reach $1-trillion by 2029,” he said.
Maharashtra will be the first state to have the largest network of access-control highways, he said. The Maharashtra state government has signed an MoU with the union government to develop a greenfield expressway between Pune and Sambhajinagar via Ahmednagar, which reduces travel time by half to two and a half hours. This highway will also be connected to the Samruddhi Highway, enabling a faster link between Pune and Nagpur, Fadnavis said.
The government will acquire 3,752 hectares for Rs 4,437 crore for the six-lane-230 km expressway. Construction cost of the project would be Rs 7,132 crore.
The state had signed agreements for 9,000 MW of distributed solar energy, with solar parks expected to come up in 18 months and start supplying power. The state will also see 29,000 MW pump storage plants.
“Maharashtra continues to top the list when it comes to getting FDI,” Fadnavis added.